Current issues in European social rented housing

Abstract

Experience has taught us that social housing policy is determined mainly by socio‐economic developments. The success (or lack thereof) of the social housing policy can be attributed to elements such as fluctuation in interest rates and inflation, as well as to developments in building costs and purchasing power. Furthermore, demographic developments have their own influence on policy. Because the European economies are becoming more and more interwoven, this paper observes an increasing convergence of problems in social housing in various European countries, although countries differ in their customs, traditions and law‐making. A number of current issues are considered that can influence social housing policy and can play a role in making strategic choices, for example, ageing in the population, unemployment, the treatment of spatial segregation and the quality of life in housing projects. The paper concludes that the government and social housing organisations are partners in solving the problems of social housing and that choosing an exclusively market mechanism is, in the author's opinion, a fruitless road to follow. The paper argues that the question is not either market or government, but rather, how government and social housing organisations together can implement the most effective instruments for social housing.