Social housing is increasingly becoming the tenure of the poor across Europe, an influential survey of European housing has revealed.
The survey was published on Monday by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. It predicted the trend would continue as public investment declines and social housing providers have to invest more heavily in refurbishing stock.

The report said building more housing for the economically inactive would crowd out supply for those in work but on low salaries.

The report's author, Professor Michael Ball of Reading University, said the UK's social housing system would have to pay more heed to market forces if it was to broaden its clientele beyond the poorest people.

He said: "There needs to be more incentive for low income tenants to realise that housing costs are expensive, and rents that reflect scarcity as well as need."

Source

Housing Today