Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T22:30:00.524Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Affordability for Housing Association Tenants. A Key Issue for British Social Housing Policy*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2009

Ade Kearns
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

As a result of changes to the financial regime for housing associations, affordability has become a major issue of debate in social rented housing in Britain. This paper assesses the implications of trying to construct a finance system for housing associations based on a regime of ‘affordable rents’ and the ‘safety net’ of Housing Benefits but with the state declining to define the central concept of affordability. Using examples of a number of Western countries, and empirical evidence from the sector in Scotland, the present position is criticised, and a route out of the policy vacuum is suggested. This is founded on the premise that housing is a means rather than an end, within a broader social policy. Given the political constraints, one solution lies in studies of the expenditure patterns and standards of living of different groups of housing association tenants, and in the creation of a sector-specific organisational subsidy to be available in addition to the usual producer- and consumer-subsidies.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 21 , Issue 4 , October 1992 , pp. 525 - 549
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ahren, P. (1987), ‘Housing subsidies in the Nordic countries’, Scandinavian Housing and Planning Review, 4, 17–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Albeson, J. (1980), National Welfare Benefits Handbook Tenth Edition 1980/81, Child Poverty Action Group, London.Google Scholar
Atkinson, A.B. (1980), A National Minimum? A History of Ambiguity in the Determination of Benefit Scales in Britain, Welfare State Programme Working Paper 47, London School of Economics, London.Google Scholar
Boelhouwer, P. (1990), ‘Housing allowances in the Netherlands and the housing market behaviour of households’, paper presented at the Conference, Housing Debates—Urban Challenges Paris, OTB Research Institute, Delft.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradbury, K.L. and Downs, A. (eds) (1981), Do Housing Allowances Work?, Brookings Institute, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Bramley, G. (1989), Meeting Housing Needs, Association of District Councils, London.Google Scholar
Bramley, G. (1990), Bridging the Affordability Gap, EEC Publications, Birmingham.Google Scholar
Cmnd. 214 (1987), Housing. The Government's Proposals, HMSO, London.Google Scholar
Cmnd. 1008 (1990), The Government's Expenditure Plans 1990–91 to 1992–93, HMSO, London.Google Scholar
Doling, J. (1989), ‘Financial restructuring and housing markets in Finland’, Housing Studies, 4:4, 267–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards, M. (1990), ‘Housing affordability: the Australian context’, paper presented at the Metropolis 90 Conference Melbourne, National Housing Strategy, Canberra.Google Scholar
Erskine, A. (1990), The Community Charge and Poverty, Department of Social Administration and Social Work, Glasgow.Google Scholar
Hills, J. (1987), When is a Grant not a Grant?, Welfare State Programme Discussion Paper 23, London School of Economics, London.Google Scholar
Hills, J., Hubert, F., Tomann, H. and Whitehead, C. (1990), ‘Shifting subsidy from bricks and mortar to people’, Housing Studies, 5:3, 147–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Housing Corporation (1989), Rent Policy and Principles, Circular No. HC60/89, London.Google Scholar
Housing Corporation in Scotland (1989), New Financial Regime for Housing Associations in Scotland, London.Google Scholar
Kearns, A. (1988), Affordable Rents and Flexible HAG, New Finance for Housing Associations, Discussion Paper 17, Centre for Housing Research, Glasgow.Google Scholar
Kearns, A. (1989), ‘New rents for housing associations in Scotland. The probable and the possible’, paper presented to SFHA Conference on Rent Setting, Perth, Discussion Paper 17, Centre for Housing Research, Glasgow.Google Scholar
Kearns, A. (1990), ‘Strategies for affordable housing’, paper presented to the National Federation of Housing Associations Annual Conference, Liverpool, Discussion Paper 17, Centre for Housing Research, Glasgow.Google Scholar
Kearns, A. (1991), Housing Association Rent Policies. A Preferred Approach and Observations on Current Practice, Research Report No. 16, Scottish Homes, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Kemp, P. (1990), ‘Income-related assistance with housing costs: a cross-national comparison’, Urban Studies, 27:6, 795–808.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marks, D. (1984), ‘Housing affordability and rent regulation’, Research Study No.8, Commission of Inquiry into Residential Tenancies, Toronto.Google Scholar
National Federation of Housing Associations (1990a), NFHA CORE Quarterly Bulletin Number 2, NFHA, London.Google Scholar
National Federation of Housing Associations (1990b), Towards 2000. The Housing Association Agenda. A Working Party Report, NFHA, London.Google Scholar
National Federation of Housing Associations (1990c), Paying for Rented Housing, Research Report 12, NFHA, London.Google Scholar
Neutze, M. and Kendig, H.L. (1991), ‘Achievement of home ownership among post-war Australian cohorts’, Housing Studies, 6:1, 3–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Normid Housing Association (1990), Affordability Conference. Papers Presented, Wolverhampton.Google Scholar
Ridley, N. (1987), Conservative Proposals for Housing, Conservative Central Office, London.Google Scholar
Scottish Development Department (1987), Housing. The Government's Proposals, HMSO, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Scottish Development Department (1988a), Rent Setting. Housing Association Publicly Assisted Housing, S.D.D., Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Scottish Development Department (1988b), Rent Setting—Second Draft, S.D.D., Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (1987), Who do we House?, SFHA, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Scottish Homes (1989), New Grant Procedures for Housing Associations, Guidance Note 89/02, Scottish Homes, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Scottish Homes (1990), The Financial Regime for Housing Associations in Scotland, Guidance Note 90/28, Scottish Homes, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Sharp, C. and Jones, C. (1990), What Londoners Pay for their Housing, SHAC, London.Google Scholar
Treanor, D. (1990), Housing Association Rents, NFHA, London.Google Scholar
Turner, B. (1990), ‘Housing finance in the Nordic countries’, Housing Studies, 5:3, 168–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, M. and Zebedee, J. (1990), Guide to Housing Benefit and Community Charge Benefit 1990–91, Institute of Housing, London.Google Scholar
Welsh Federation of Housing Associations (1990), Quarterly Bulletin of CORE Data No.1, WFHA, Cardiff.Google Scholar
Yates, J. (1990), Shared Ownership: The Socialisation or Privatisaton of Housing?, Working Paper 147, Department of Economics, Sydney.Google Scholar