MISSOC NETWORK MEETING Amsterdam, 6-7 June 2016 Overview of the descriptions of national systems of housing benefits Terry Ward, MISSOC Secretariat

Background At last meeting in Luxembourg, agreed to provide overview of national systems of housing benefits - simplified questionnaire sent to all countries All countries completed the questionnaire – but some answers incomplete or unclear – RO no information on first question, overview of benefits available

Overview of benefits available Cash benefits or allowances to help cover rent, including rent deposit schemes, available in all countries except SK (and RO?) fall within scope of social protection in most (19) of countries fall outside scope in 11 countries: AT BE HU IS IT LV LU PL CH NL UK Rent controls, including preferential rent schemes for particular groups: exist in 18 countries within scope of social protection in 5 countries: BG HR EE LV LT outside scope in 13 countries: AT DK FI FR HU IT MT PL PT SK SE CH NL

Overview of the benefits available Cash benefits or allowances to help cover mortgage payments exist in 19 countries within scope of social protection in 8 countries: HR CY EE FI DE NO PT ES outside scope in 11 countries: AT BE HU IE IT LV LI LU MT CH UK Tax concessions or allowances in respect of housing costs, especially mortgage interest payments exist in 23 countries, in all apart from: HR CY EL HU LT MT SI NL Provision of social housing exists in 24 countries – in all except: HR CY CZ EL LI SE NL(?) within scope of social protection in 8: DK EE FI DE LT NO SI ES outside scope in other 16 countries

Overview of the benefits available Other forms of benefits in kind (such as the provision of subsidised private accommodation for particular groups) exist in 18 countries within scope of social protection in 7: HR DK FI LT NO PT SI outside scope in 11: AT BE BG EE HU IT LV LU MT SE CH Allowances to cover the cost of energy consumed by households exist in 21 countries within scope of social protection in 15: HR CZ DK EE DE IE LV LT LU MT NO PT SI ES SE outside scope in 6: AT FR HU IT PL CH Controls on the price of energy to households exist in 11 countries – within scope of social protection in 2: SK SI outside scope in 9: BE FR HU IT LV NO PL PT CH

Overview of the benefits available Help for first-time home buyers, families with children or other groups to assist them to purchase houses or apartments exists in 18 countries within scope of social protection in 5: EE HU LT NO ES outside scope in 13: BE FI FR EL IE IT LV LI LU MT PL PT SK Grants to cover the cost of housing improvements to save on energy or the cost of solar panels to generate renewable energy exist in 23 countries – all except: BG CY FI IS PT NL UK SI(?) within scope of social protection in 2: EE LT outside scope in other 21 Other housing benefits exist in 12 countries - within scope of social protection in 2: LV LT outside scope in 10: BE BG HR FI FR DE HU IE LI LU

Benefit arrangements Under regional or local responsibility in most countries, but not fully Partly under regional or local responsibility in some – either for some benefits or for administration of benefits only Legal right to housing exists in a number of countries in 3 countries seems to be universal right: HU LU PT in 5 countries, right for vulnerable groups: BG FI FR IS ES Housing benefits or allowances provided under separate scheme in 10 countries BE DE EL IS LV LU PL RO CH NL partly in 6: AT EE FI IE PT ES mostly under minimum income in other countries

Summary Some kinds of Housing benefit exist in all countries In most countries some benefits are within scope of social protection Most common benefits are: Cash benefits or allowances to help cover rent (within scope of social protection in most countries) Allowances to cover cost of energy (within scope of social protection in most countries)

OECD OECD and European Commission currently gathering information on access to decent affordable housing and social policies for housing New Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing (QuASH 2016), based on earlier questionnaire in 2014, circulated recently to OECD countries. Will collect information on: Subsidies to households to promote access to affordable home- ownership Mortgage support and regulation Tax relief for home owners Measures supporting affordability and security of tenure in market rented sector Subsidies for and provision of social rental housing Cash benefits to households for rental costs and other housing costs Subsidies to finance housing regeneration Subsidies to finance development of new affordable housing

SPC More consistent provision of information on housing policies and improved consistency between MISSOC and ESSPROS called for by Social Protection Committee at meeting in January

Thank you for your attention