Policies to support stable, affordable rental housing: Lessons from around the world

Rental housing markets across the developed world are facing considerable challenges. Rising rents in major cities have made housing affordability an increasingly salient economic and political issue, from the Bay Area to Berlin to Tokyo. Job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic have disproportionately affected lower-wage workers, putting greater financial stress on renters and property owners. Every country’s housing market has some unique features, reflecting history and institutional context. Yet the housing challenges faced by wealthy countries are similar, and could benefit from more cross-country knowledge-sharing.

On Wednesday, April 21, the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program hosted an event exploring a range of policy approaches aimed at regulating and supporting rental housing. Speakers highlighted specific strategies and learnings from the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Japan’s rental housing markets that can be applied in the U.S.

Viewers submitted questions by emailing events@brookings.edu or tweeting to @BrookingsMetro using the hashtag #RentalHousing.