The TV programme Changing Rooms may attract millions of viewers wanting to transform their homes - but many properties need much more than a cosmetic makeover.

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, one of the stars of Changing Rooms

A report published today by the York-based Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns that the Englishman's home is a "crumbling castle".

Serious problems of disrepair are often lurking unseen below the surface, with a backlog of home repairs it is estimated will cost £37 billion to fix.

And some of the worst problems are in inner city areas of the north of England.

The report, by Professor Philip Leather of Birmingham University, calls for a Government-led strategy to persuade owners to invest in maintaining their homes and prevent the national repair bill getting worse.

"Television programmes that encourage spending on redecoration and home makeovers are all very well," he said.

"But more important is the less glamorous task of tackling serious disrepair - doing the unseen jobs to remedy damp and deterioration. An Englishman's home may be his castle, but owners need to make sure that castle is not crumbling."

The report, Crumbling Castles? Helping Owners to Repair and Maintain their Homes, claims that 1.8 million properties are unfit for human habitation.

It says that because of an ageing stock of homes, a growing proportion of elderly home owners and instability in jobs and personal relationships, the number of people who find it hard to maintain their properties is set to grow.

The north of England, and declining coastal resorts, are among the areas where conditions are especially likely to deteriorate, making regeneration harder.

The report concludes that:

Realistic targets should be set for eliminating the repairs backlog

Local authorities, financial institutions and the construction industry should work in partnership to encourage investment by owners in maintenance and repairs

Mortgage providers should offer small loans for repairs, and there should be more savings and insurance schemes to cover maintenance or emergencies

Prof Leather also suggests that home improvement grants should be more widely available, or alternatively replaced by help with the cost of borrowing.

In the long term, he says it could be necessary to make more extensive use of local authorities' powers to compel private owners, especially landlords, to maintain their properties to a minimum standard.

see also 'Houses in a fix'

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.