Building your own home has provided an alternative for some Londoners struggling with housing affordability. In the 1990s, housing cooperatives enabled residents to construct their own social homes.
Tim Oshodi was part of Fusions Jameen, London's first black-led housing cooperative, which built 13 social homes in Nubia Way between 1994 and 1997. These homes offered assured tenancies and a 30% discount in rent. Participants committed 24 hours a week over three years to the build.
Inspired by this, Charmaine McNally built a five-bedroom home in Meadow Lane through a female-led self-build project, receiving a 10% rent reduction and an assured tenancy. She later bought the home she had built.
Levent Kerimol, director of Community Led Homes, believes self-builds are still too difficult in the UK due to stringent building regulations. However, he notes that cooperative and community-led housing contributes significantly more to housing in some European cities compared to London's approximately 0.1% per year.
An alternative, the Naked House project, offers custom-build homes where the basic shell is provided, allowing buyers to complete the interiors. These private homes are designed to be affordable, selling at 20% below market rate, with starting prices from £235,000.