Financialization, real estate and COVID-19 in the UK

Abstract

In the UK, financialization has transformed many areas of the economy, including the housing market. The deregulation of financial markets that took place from the 1980s onwards, combined with the privatization of social housing, has transformed UK real estate from an ordinary good, insulated to some extent from consumer and financial markets, into a valuable financial asset. The financialization of real estate has had a largely negative impact on the UK’s housing market, the wider economy and individual communities; wealth inequality, financial instability, gentrification and homelessness have all increased as the role of the financial sector in UK property has increased. The financial crisis only accelerated many of these trends as distressed real estate was bought up by investors in its wake, and as loose monetary policy pushed up house prices in the period after the crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is only likely to exacerbate these issues; the UK is sleepwalking into a potential evictions crisis, and ongoing loose monetary policy is likely to prevent a significant and necessary correction in house prices over the long term.