Housing tenure
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Housing tenure is a financial arrangement and ownership structure under which someone has the right to live in a house or apartment. The most frequent forms are tenancy, in which rent is paid by the occupant to a landlord, and owner-occupancy, where the occupant owns their own home. Mixed forms of tenure are also possible.
The basic forms of tenure can be subdivided, for example an owner-occupier may own a house outright, or it may be
non-profit organization such as a housing association, or a government body, as in public housing
.
Surveys used in social science research frequently include questions about housing tenure, because it is a useful proxy
for income or wealth, and people are less reluctant to give information about it.
Types
- Owner occupancy – The person or group that occupies a houseowns the building (and usually the land on which it sits).
- Tenancy – A landlord who owns an apartment or building rents the right to occupy the unit to a tenant.
- homeowners' association. Individuals have the right to occupy a particular apartment by mutual agreement but do not hold exclusive ownership to it.
- homeowners' association. Fees are charged to the condo owners for maintenance of the common areas. These are referred to as "condo fees".
- Public housing – Government-owned housing, whether provided for free or leased at a subsidised rate.
- Squatting – Occupation by non-owner without permission by the owner, if any.
- Land trust – Often used as an alternative to ownership for privacy and legal reasons.
Styles and variations
- Timeshare – A modified form of cooperative, condominium, or leased house or apartment, with short-term residency right agreements tailored for vacations.
- Cohousing – A variant of a condominium or cooperative with a high degree of interaction with neighbors in shared areas.
England
The
Department for Communities and Local Government is responsible for developing government housing policy in England.[1] The English Housing Survey[2]
classifies all dwellings into one of four housing tenure classifications:
- Owner-occupied
- Private rented
- Rented from housing association (registered social landlords)
- Rented from local authorities