Social Housing in Europe

Kathleen ScanlonResearch FellowLSE LondonLondon School of EconomicsChristine WhiteheadProfessor of HousingDepartment of EconomicsLondon School of EconomicsMelissa Fernández ArrigoitiaResearch OfficerLSE LondonLondon School of EconomicsContributorsThe contributors are among the leading international experts in social housing, and include:* József Hegedüs, a principal of the Metropolitan Research Institute in Budapest* Marja Elsinga of the OTB Research Institute of Housing at Delft University* Frank Wassenberg of the NICIS Institute in The Hague* Christoph Reinprecht, Professor of Sociology at the University of Vienna* Hedvig Vestergaard of the Danish Building Research Institute* Claire Levy-Vroelant, Professor of Sociology at the University of Paris 8 Saint-Denis* Christian Tutin, Professor of Economics at the University of Paris 12 Créteil* Christiane Droste, partner in Berlin-based UrbanPlus Droste&Partner* Thomas Knorr-Siedow, one of the foremost German scholars on social housing and urban regeneration* Declan Redmond and Michelle Norris of University College, Dublin

All countries aim to improve housing conditions for their citizens but many have been forced by the financial crisis to reduce government expenditure. Social housing is at the crux of this tension. Policy-makers, practitioners and academics want to know how other systems work and are looking for something written in clear English, where there is a depth of understanding of the literature in other languages and direct contributions from country experts across the continent.Social Housing in Europe combines a comparative overview of European social housing written by scholars with in-depth chapters written by international housing experts. The countries covered include Austria, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, The Netherlands and Sweden, with a further chapter devoted to CEE countries other than Hungary.The book provides an up-to-date international comparison of social housing policy and practice. It offers an analysis of how the social housing system currently works in each country, supported by relevant statistics. It identifies European trends in the sector, and opportunities for innovation and improvement.These country-specific chapters are accompanied by topical thematic chapters dealing with subjects such as the role of social housing in urban regeneration, the privatisation of social housing, financing models, and the impact of European Union state aid regulations on the definitions and financing of social housing.

Notes on Contributors xvForeword by Claude Taffin xxiiiAcknowledgments xxv1 Introduction 1Kathleen Scanlon, Christine Whitehead and Melissa Fernández ArrigoitiaNational stocks of social housing 3Ownership 6Rents 6Access 10Housing allowance 12Demographics of social tenants 12SECTION ONE: SOCIAL HOUSING IN 12 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES 21Part I Large Social Housing Sectors 232 Social Housing in the Netherlands 25Marja Elsinga and Frank WassenbergPosition of social housing 25Historical development 27The provision of social housing 29Finance 30Rents 32Access and allocation 33Social housing-tenants 34Governance and regulation 35Current debates 373 Social Housing in Scotland 43Douglas Robertson and Regina SerpaIntroduction 43Historical development of social housing in Scotland 44Tenure profile and trends 46Insecure accommodation 47Housing allocations 47Financing of social housing 49Governance and regulation 49Capital investment in housing 50Right to Buy 51Housing finance 52New house-building trends 54Financial innovations 55Conclusion: Present-day policy environment 564 Social Housing in Austria 61Christoph ReinprechtIntroduction: the current position of social housing 61Historical development of the sector up to the present 63Provision of social housing 65Financing 66Rents 68Access 69Demographics 70Governance and regulation 71Current policy environment 72Part II Medium Social Housing Sectors 755 Social Housing in Denmark 77Hedvig Vestergaard and Kathleen ScanlonIntroduction 77The current position of social housing 78Provision of social housing 79Landsbyggefonden/The National Building Fund 80Access to social housing/eligibility 81Demographics of social housing 83Rent levels 85Other forms of affordable provision 85The political debate 86Recent initiatives 87Conclusion 886 Social Housing in Sweden 91Hans LindThe concept of social housing in the Swedish context 91Tenure forms and rent setting in Sweden 93MHCs in Sweden 96Housing allowances and other economic support 97How the social authorities work with housing issues 99Some recent trends 99Conclusion 1017 Social Housing in England 105Christine WhiteheadThe housing stock and the changing importance of tenure structure 105Structure and ownership in the social sector 107Investment in new social housing 108Financing the social sector 110Rent determination 113Who lives in the social sector? 115Looking to the future 1178 Social Housing in France 123Claire Lévy-Vroelant, Jean-Pierre Schaefer and Christian TutinIntroduction: the current position of social housing in France 123Historical development of social housing 127Organisation of the social housing sector 130Financing social housing 131Rents 133Access and allocation 135Tenant demographics 139Current issues and political debates 140Part III Small Social Housing Sectors 1439 Social Housing in the Republic of Ireland 145Declan Redmond and Michelle NorrisIntroduction 145The development of the social housing sector 146Housing need and social housing tenants 148The local authority sector 151The housing association sector 153Planning gain and social housing 155Social housing support: rent supplement and social housing leasing 156Future trends and policy 15910 Social Housing in the Czech Republic 165Martin LuxIntroduction 165The current position of social housing 166Historical development of the sector to the present day 168Provision of social housing 170New municipal construction: policy and financing 173Rents, access and allocation 176Conclusion 178Acknowledgement 17911 Social Housing in Germany 183Christiane Droste and Thomas Knorr-SiedowIntroduction 183Development of the sector up to the present 184Provision of social housing 194Current developments in social housing policy and practice 196Conclusion 19912 Social Housing in Hungary 205József HegedüsIntroduction 205Historical development of the sector up to the present 207Provision of social housing 210Financing social housing 211Rents 213Access and allocation 215Housing allowances and 'low-cost housing' 216Homeownership opportunities 218Effects of the global financial crisis on social housing 219Conclusion 22013 Social Housing in Spain 223Baralides AlberdiIntroduction 223Historical development of the sector 226Structure of social housing 228Funding VPO social housing 229VPO prices and rents 231Access and allocation 232Demographics of social housing 233Current policy environment 23314 Social Housing in Post-Socialist Countries 239József Hegedüs, Martin Lux, Petr Sunega and Nóra TellerIntroduction: the East European Housing Model and changes to the housing system during transition 239Rent regulation 241Housing allowances 243Social housing management 244New social housing investment 244Trends in housing affordability and housing inequality 246The sustainability and effectiveness of new social housing subsidies 248Conclusions: prospects for a new social housing regime 250Acknowledgement 251SECTION TWO:CROSS-CUTTING THEMES 255Part IV History 25715 Histories of Social Housing: A Comparative Approach 259Peter MalpassIntroduction 259Perspectives on the history of social housing 260Comparative housing histories: a new approach 266Conclusion 27216 Learning from History: Path Dependency and Change in the Social Housing Sectors of Austria, France, the Netherlands and Scotland, 1889-2013 277Claire Lévy-Vroelant, Christoph Reinprecht, Douglas Robertson and Frank WassenbergIntroduction 277Main historical sequences 279The metamorphosis of social housing 285Conclusion 29117 Housing the Poor in Paris and Vienna: The Changing Understanding of the 'Social' 297Claire Lévy-Vroelant and Christoph ReinprechtIntroduction 297Social and 'very social': shifts in contexts, concepts and provision 298Conditions in and provision of social housing, then and now 300From social to very social 302Historical shifts in meaning of 'very social' 306Conclusion: the paradox of integration 311Part V Finance and Law 31518 Financing Social Rented Housing in Europe 317Christine WhiteheadIntroduction 317Rent determination 318An increasing role for private debt finance 321Equity finance for social housing 324Subsidies to social housing provision 326Conclusion 32819 Social Housing and European Community Competition Law 333Darinka CzischkeIntroduction 333A typology of approaches to social housing provision in the European Union 334Services of general interest, state aid and social housing 336Conclusion 34420 Property, Altruism and Welfare: What Social Housing Allocation Tells Us About English and French Legal Differences 349Jane BallIntroduction 349Social housing allocation in the European context 350A holistic view 351Property and altruism in England 352Property law and altruism in France 355Changes and Europeanisation 360Conclusion 362Part VI The Social and Private Sectors 36721 Urban Regeneration in Dutch, French and German Social Housing Areas 369Christiane Droste, Christine Lelévrier and Frank WassenbergSocial housing and urban regeneration in the three countries: a comparative perspective 369The main periods of urban regeneration in social housing 372Key features of current social housing renewal 380Conclusion: the playing field is changing 38422 The Privatisation of Social Housing: Three Different Pathways 389Marja Elsinga, Mark Stephens and Thomas Knorr-SiedowIntroduction 389Privatisation in the UK 390Privatisation in the Netherlands 396Privatisation in Germany 401Conclusion 40923 Housing and Neighbourhoods: What Happened After the Sale of State Housing to Sitting Tenants in England? 415Alan MurieIntroduction 415Privatising public housing in Europe 417The Right to Buy in England 418Social and spatial differences 419Estate-level analysis 422Conclusion 42824 Conclusion 433Kathleen Scanlonn and Christine WhiteheadCountry comparisons 435Cross-cutting themes 442A final conclusion 443Glossary of Terms 445Index 449