Article – Parliament calls for action to solve housing crisis

Lack of affordable housing is increasingly becoming a problem in the EU, with housing prices and rents steadily growing relative to incomes over the years.

On 21 January, Parliament adopted a resolution calling on EU countries to recognise adequate housing as a fundamental human right that is enforceable through legislation. Everyone should get equal access to decent, “healthy” housing, with connection to high-quality drinking water, adequate sanitation, sewage and reliable energy, MEPs said.

Housing crisis: a problem for everyone

The situation has especially got worse for low-income owners and private renters, but also for people with an average income are burdened by housing and maintenance costs. Especially single parents, large families and young people on their first jobs have an income that is too low to afford market rents, while too high to make them eligible for social housing.

The coronavirus outbreak has also exacerbated the housing problem, as many people need to spend the lockdown in poor standard homes. In the medium-term, the crisis is expected to further increase homelessness rates.