More freedom to develop – Why we want more space to live in 

The Corona pandemic has changed our lives in almost every aspect. The world of work experienced a veritable evolution. Working from home became the norm for almost two years and still continues for lots of people.  

This made everyday work easier for many people but also led to their own homes becoming their workplace. This presented many people with unfamiliar problems.  

How can you expand existing living space? 

Now that part of one’s home has been forcibly converted into an office for many, the question naturally arises of how to compensate for lost living space. The trend shows that since the Corona Pandemic, Britons have wanted more space to live in. Pillar-X is always guided by the wishes of tenants and the realities of the market, which is why we also focus on expanded living space. In doing so, we pursue several strategies. 

On the one hand, the perceived living space can be expanded, and on the other hand, the actual living space. Open-plan living concepts are nothing new but have experienced a new upswing since the Corona pandemic.  

The idea behind an open-plan living concept is that you combine different rooms. For example, in many cases, the dining room is connected to the kitchen and the living room. This creates a large room that, in the best case, is brightly lit with natural light. This makes the combined room appear much larger than its individual parts and enables a whole new living feeling. 

Furthermore, living space can of course be expanded by actually enlarging the home. This is much easier to do outside the city centres. It is much harder to extend a flat than a detached house. This may be one of the reasons why Britons prefer the outskirts to the city centres. 

For example, one can imagine converting a garage into another room. In the younger generations, many people do without a private vehicle, which is why there are some unused garages that can be converted into functional living spaces.  Furthermore, it is possible to add a storey or an extension to a detached house. This can either create a new floor or a new room. In some cases, it is also possible to convert the attic and create another room there.   

How are the costs shared? 

Employers in the UK are not obliged to cover the costs of employees’ home offices. However, employers have the option of providing their employees with the necessary equipment for the home office and claiming the purchases against tax. 

For this reason, it is advantageous for employers to cover certain costs so that they can offer their employees cost-effective benefits. This includes, for example, the necessary IT equipment, such as a computer, a smartphone, and the necessary accessories. The reimbursement of additional household expenses is also tax advantageous for the employer. 

This becomes more difficult with the costs for internet and telephone. An internet or telephone connection must be largely used for the employment relationship and may not exist before the employment relationship. For this reason, the employer cannot deduct such costs from tax in most cases. Of course, the employer can still choose to cover internet and telephone costs proportionally or completely.