Housing

Housing has several characteristics that differentiate it from other products. Housing tenure is one aspect discussed here and this is followed by a section on house prices. Owner occupation is discussed in the UK and also elsewhere in Europe. Another feature of housing is the extent of provision by public authorities, so that government policy has an enormous effect. In recent years, selling off council houses has made this one of the largest privatization, and in addition the chapter discusses social housing elsewhere in Europe. There is also a discussion of the private rented sector in the UK and the rest of Europe, and finally a section on the housebuilding industry and the affordability of housing.