Housing as social problem versus housing as historical problem: the case of Hungary

Two very different dimensions of Hungary's housing problem are investigated. One relates to historical factors, mainly the poor housing stock which existed prior to 1949, and is indicated by persistent housing shortages. The other dimension concerns access and allocation mechanisms, both in rented and owned accommodation, and raises questions of social policy. Thus there are at least two ways of evaluating housing policy: in terms of absolute levels of provision -- usually measured by standards and shortages -- and in terms of relative levels -- measured by how fair is the access to housing of different types by different groups in the population. The first method reveals that Hungary, despite severe housing shortages, has made great strides in recent years. However, in terms of equality of housing provision, the problem which seems endemic to several Eastern European countries -- the better-off groups get most of the available good quality housing at low rents -- is persisting through into the owner-occupied sector as this sector begins to take off because of a large expansion since 1970 of mortgage credit.