What is affordable housing?

This briefing paper considers how affordable housing is defined in England and looks at key trends in the affordability of different tenure types.

The need for subsidized housing provision has long been recognized. The cost of private sector housing that meets acceptable standards, compared with the level and distribution of incomes and assets, means that significant numbers of households lack the resources to make a demand for decent housing effective in the market. Without subsidized housing, these households can fail to obtain housing of a decent standard.

Commentators are increasingly making the point that, in addition to a crisis in housing supply, England is in the grip of a crisis of affordability. In the foreword to the June 2017 IPPR report, What more can be done to build the homes we need? Sir Michael Lyons said: “We would stress that it is not just the number built but also the balance of tenures and affordability which need to be thought through for an effective housing strategy.”

Also Read: Affordable Housing Working Group