The meaning of housing tenure in eight European countries (draft version)

Workshop 3. Session A. Abstract. Is home ownership the European dream? Since decades there is a discussion in housing literature on the meaning of housing tenure. Is there an innate preference to own as Saunders suggests, or can renting also satisfy basic needs of security? This paper examines the differences and similarities in the meaning of housing tenure within 8 EU countries: Belgium, Sweden, Finland, United Kingdom, Portugal, Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands. The paper presents findings of the qualitative part of the EU funded project ‘Origins of security and insecurity: the interplay of housing systems with jobs, household structures, finance and social security’. It is based on institutional studies and on 20 interviews with home owners and 10 interviews with tenants within all countries. This paper attempts to categorize countries according to the way people perceive housing tenure in a country. Perceptions of home ownership, social and private renting are assessed by interviewees’ tenure preferences, the arguments on which those preferences are based, and the underpinnings of interviewees’ own choices for one or the other type of tenure.