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«Accommodation»

About 51 million people live in England and most of them (84%) are largely concentrated in London. In recent years a considerably higher proportion of new housing has been in the form of flats, and block of flats have now become a common feature of the urban scene and a lot of people prefer living there. But people who are more conservative and value the traditions of their country live in the countryside.

The houses in the countryside are usually more expensive than the flats in big cities. I think it is normal because when you live in the country, you pay not just for the house but for the marvelous views, fresh air and a possibility to spend your free time in a garden (gardening is one of the most favourite hobbies among the British). English houses often have two floors and an attic. There is a kitchen, a dining-room and a living on the ground floor. Almost in every house there is a fire-place with a thick rug in the living-room, which is the most favourite place for all the family in the evenings or on holidays. There are bedrooms and several bathrooms on the first floor. There is always a room for guests. There is usually a study on the attic.

Usually houses in England are built from stones or bricks (from the local area), which are different in colour. And sometimes it seems that Britain is a country of multicoloured houses. In England there are many types of houses. People can live in a flat as it was told above. In most towns all over England there are streets of houses joined together in long rows. Such houses are called terraced houses. Two houses joined together are called semi-detached houses. If the houses are not joined to any other buildings they are called detached houses. The most popular types of houses among British people are semi-detached and detached houses.

Though more and more people tend to buy a house in the countryside, it has become a great problem for the English to buy a house because the prices on the property are increasing much faster than the wages. People can’t find even small room for a reasonable rent. But it is always possible to take a mortgage in a bank, call upon rich relatives or buy a house jointly with friends. However it’s a little bit difficult, because the burden of mortgage repayments is very heavy indeed. After the inter-war period the first council houses appeared in London. It was built to decent accommodation for working people at rents which they could afford. However, nowadays it’s extremely difficult to obtain a council house or flat.

In conclusion, half of London's population consists of homeless families who are forced to wander through the slums or live in a one-story house or bungalows. Britain today still faces a huge problem of housing shortage, which leads the population to poverty.