Two homes for the price of one: housing sector may be tempted by cheap Chinese takeaways

The homes could be imported and built for as little as £30,000, according to Tim Young, partner with construction consultant John Rowan and Partners.

Young said at least one firm is actively looking at the possibility of importing the homes en masse and selling them on to developers, including housing associations. He added that the firm is likely to make an announcement in the next month. A number of unnamed housing associations have already shown an interest in buying the technology once the import deal is signed, he claims.

The savings come from vastly lower labour costs. In China labour costs about 50 cents an hour, compared to $25 in the UK or $5 in Poland, where some of the homes bought by UK housing associations are built.

Young said: “You would expect to achieve pretty substantial savings even with shipping costs on top. But to achieve that, you’re going to have to make sure the whole supply chain comes from China.”

He said the savings were bound to attract the eye of government. “You could get a two-bed house built for £30,000. If you can build twice as many houses for the same cost, I would be surprised if the government didn’t think that was worth going for,” he said.

Housing associations have imported homes from abroad before – Accent and Kelsey housing associations already import from Canada, and Hyde Housing Association is importing homes from Poland. But Young believes that the savings gained by importing from China could result in a “step change” for the industry.

“There are already units that have been imported from Poland. This might be a bit further [afield], but the issues are no different,” he said. “It is one of those things that could be absolutely huge. It could revolutionise the industry.”

Faraz Baber, director of regeneration and development for the British Property Federation, said: “As long as it is conforming

to workmanship and design [standards], whether it comes from Europe or not is not really the point.

“[The issue] with off-site prefab is all about whether it has the longevity. That is why we find mortgage lenders are still looking into whether they are comfortable lending against off-site prefab properties.”

Mike Kirk, of Hyde Housing Association, said: “Our system is built in Poland but it is built to our specifications and design. I think that is the key issue really. It is no good importing something which might comply with local requirements but doesn’t comply with building regulations.”