http://www.iut.nu/Habitat%20Day/2007/Statement_2007.pdf
Future of Rental Housing?
Statement for the International Tenants Day
October 1, 2007
Rental housing is a good way of living… when the conditions are right!
- Rental housing enhances social cohesion,
- Rental housing is flexible, and easy to swap,
- Rental housing involves no money to real state agents,
- Rental housing is the perfect choice for young people, and the elderly,
- Rental housing requires no need to work on the plumbing, heating or to do repairs and maintenance!
IUT and its members consider affordable rental housing a vital component to the struggle for social cohesion and inclusion in every country and society. Rental housing facilitates mobility, which contributes considerably to more flexible labour markets and less unemployment.
Rental housing also makes it possible for young people, students and workers, to stay in other cities or countries for longer or shorter periods. Elderly people often find well functioning rental housing attractive as it often includes services.
Our governments, irrespective of political habitat often praise rental housing, and say that rental housing is an important and essential component of every well functioning society.
But, unfortunately this is too often lip-service!
The share of rental housing is decreasing in practically all countries, often to levels which are way below sustainable levels – as in the region of central and east Europe – to levels below 5 percent of the total stock. How does this reality benefit social cohesion?
IUT regrets that many governments, at local, state and federal level;
• consider rental housing as secondary to ownership, through different tax incentives that makes ownership economically more favourable – in spite the fact that rental housing is in many countries often inhabited by low income households,
• place housing on a level equal to other commercial merchandise, and as such housing is treated under market conditions. This only favours the financially strong households – a minority of households.
• are of the opinion that the Market and ownership can solve deficiencies such as lack of housing, unaffordibility, and insecure legal circumstances.
This is unfortunately nothing but delusions.
“A well functioning society needs a variety of dwellings in regards to size and standard – and tenure, for different needs and periods of a person’s life. It must be up to a person’s own choice, according to circumstances, whether he or she wishes to own or rent the dwelling” (The IUT Tenants´ Charter).
IUT and its 54 members in Europe, Asia, Australia and North- ad South America are convinced that rental housing will continue to play a key role in urban renewal and in socio-economic and sustainability!
