<p> <br></p><p>A Durham University housing expert has called on the government and financial institutions to back a new system of home ownership for the UK. </p> <br><p></p> <br><p>Susan Smith, director of the Institute of Advanced Study at Durham University, says the time is right for creating a public-private partnership to make effective use of housing derivatives – instruments enabling a range of institutions to share in the fortunes of the housing market, whilst home-owners can buy and sell their properties with much less risk. </p> <br><p>Smith argues that innovative financial instruments could be used by governments, banks and other organisations to enter into a partnership with home buyers, enabling them to choose: how much of their wealth to invest into housing, how much of their home to own, and what proportion of their incomes to reserve for other things. <br></p><p>Smith says: “We are in the midst of a financial crisis rooted in the housing economy; we can either patch things up and aim for business as usual, or take this unique opportunity to create a more sustainable housing future.” <br></p><p> </p> <br><p></p> <br><p></p> <br><p> </p>