Financial repercussions of the sale of public housing in the Netherlands

Like in other countries, the public housing sector in the Netherlands is under fire. The sale of units to tenants has been permitted for many years, and the government now intends to remove barriers to further sales. The total number of dwellings sold has remained relatively small, yet the effects on the buyers, the housing associations and the government should be investigated before a major new sales effort is launched. This article assesses the short and long‐term financial consequences of past sales programmes by analysing data on the initial sales and on subsequent resales. We find that the anticipated benefits do not always materialise.