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Historically, social housing in Australia operated as a springboard for social mobility. For many working families, public housing tenancy was an opportunity to save for a house purchase deposit. Latterly, tenant exits from public to private housing have declined to very low levels. This has raised concerns about systemic barriers to residential and social mobility for social renters, and about the consequent longer waiting times for applicants in need of social housing. Drawing on administrative data collected by social housing providers in NSW and Victoria, and in‐depth interviews with 95 former and current social housing tenants in both states, this paper examines tenant attitudes, intentions and motivations as regards future house‐moves. We argue that the primary disincentives to exit relate to affordability and security of tenure in private rental, rather than factors related to the social housing system itself.

High rates of tenancy turnover in social rented housing have increasingly been identified as problematic both in the UK and elsewhere. High turnover has been variously associated with management failings, individual vulnerability or (absence of) tenant choice. Drawing on original research into 'prematurely terminated' tenancies in Glasgow, we investigate explanatory factors associated with tenancy sustainment rates. In doing so, we interrogate the (managerialist) rationale which positions such residential mobility as potentially 'excessive' and therefore 'problematic'. The empirical findings demonstrate evidence for all three posited explanations for high tenancy turnover but also suggest that some tenants vacating their homes after only a short time may be making a positive choice. They also emphasise that, in seeking to reduce early tenancy termination, social landlords should recognise the importance of improving mainstream housing management services and the condition of the housing stock, as well as attempting to address individual vulnerability through targeted support.

English
Despite a long period of public management reform in social housing, including shifts from state to non-profit providers and exit opportunities for tenants, access to new tenancies has until very recently continued to be mediated by bureaucratic rationing approaches. This article explores the reasons for the long dominance of rationing, and the factors that are now leading to its replacement with more consumerist approaches known as 'choice-based lettings'. Chaos and complexity theory are used to explore the role of market factors and changes in understanding in destabilising an entrenched initial attractor pattern, and the role of local experiment, policy transfer and new political agendas in establishing a new attractor pattern.

Low and falling demand for housing has come to be recognised as a fairly widespread phenomenon in late 1990s Britain. Whilst research has tended to focus on the negative consequences of this for social rented housing, the weakness of the private housing market has led to increasingly grave problems in some inner cities and former coalfields, particularly in the North of England. The main purpose of the paper is to review and evaluate the actual and potential public policy responses to this complex of issues in relation to both private- and public-sector housing, in the light of new evidence on the extent, incidence and causes of low demand. Whilst central government has displayed a growing recognition of the need to develop counter-measures, particularly in England, the paper questions whether those so far proposed fully address the severity and intractability of the issue.

Variations in stock turnover in social housing are important for a number of reasons. First, they influence the supply of properties available to meet housing need; secondly, they have implications for housing management costs and performance; and, thirdly, they are a barometer of neighbourhood stability and cohesion. The paper examines national, regional and local trends in council housing turnover rates over the past 20 years, focusing on changes during the first half of the 1990s. Linking data from various secondary sources together with new evidence, the paper explores the elements involved in the generation of relets and examines the characteristics and motivations of households exiting from the council sector. Finally, the article reports results of statistical modelling of relet rates at the local authority level which reveal new insights on the causal factors involved.

By 1995, around one-third of Scotland's public sector housing stock (as at 1980) had been sold to sitting tenants under the 'Right to Buy'. An estimated 67 000 of these 300 000 dwellings have subsequently been resold on the open market. At the peak of the resale activity, in 1992, the volume of resales reached just under 14 000 transactions, accounting for 14 per cent of all 'second-hand' market activity in that year. There appears to be a substantial differential between the realised market values of former public sector homes as compared with other second-hand dwellings, characteristic of regions of England where demand for housing is less intense. There is also evidence of considerable variations in prices of former public sector properties within districts, depending on the reputation of the neighbourhood concerned. Survey evidence shows that the resale market is not predominantly a first-time-buyer market. Half of those who have purchased former public sector dwellings were already owner-occupiers at the time. For most of those concerned, buying an ex-RTB property presented an opportunity to trade up in the market in terms of size and type. Nevertheless, for a considerable proportion of first-time buyers, the availability of a former public sector property may have been crucial in facilitating access to home-ownership. Significantly, one-third of this group had previously contemplated social renting.

This fascinating book draws on a decade of research by three leading housing researchers to expose the dire circumstances of many among the growing number of Australian private renters. Placed in the context of past trends and policy failings, it provides a compelling account of the realities of private rental living, drawing on interviews with tenants to provide a vivid but depressing account of their countless struggles. Written for the general reader, it is highly recommended as an information source and a rallying cry for action Emeritus Professor Peter Saunders, Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales Over a quarter of Australians are living in private rental housing and yet until now we have lacked an in-depth study of this important part of the housing market. This fascinating new book by three leading housing experts admirably fills that gap in our knowledge and understanding. Written in an engaging style, the authors provide a concise and comprehensive analysis that will be of interest to experts and those new to the subject. It is essential reading for anyone who wishes to better understand the past, present and likely future of private renting in Australia and beyond. Professor Peter A Kemp, Professor of Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

Introduction -- Why governments intervene in housing -- Unpacking Australia's housing affordability problem -- Social housing in Australia: Evolution, legacy and contemporary policy debates -- Home ownership and the role of government -- Private rental housing: Market roles, taxation and regulation -- The Indigenous housing policy challenge -- Financing and governing affordable rental housing -- Roles of land use planning policy in housing supply and affordable housing -- Housing policy in Australia: A reform agenda.

Cover -- Half-Title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Tables -- List of Figures -- List of Boxes -- List of Abbreviations -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Modernizing Social Housing -- Broader Context -- Public Policy Reforms -- Modernizing Social Housing Delivery -- International Dimensions -- What Real Difference Does Transfer Make? -- Structure of the Book -- 2 Tracking Stock Transfers -- Social Housing in 1988 -- Housing Policy and Legislation in the 1980s -- Stock Transfer Policy Origins and Antecedents -- Forms of Stock Transfer -- The Changing Geography of Stock Transfers -- Britain's New Social Landlords -- Chapter Conclusions -- 3 Stock Transfer Motivations and Processes -- Stakeholder Interests -- Housing Investment Drivers and Financing Stock Transfers -- Other Financial Drivers -- Non-Financial Drivers -- Developing and Delivering Stock Transfer Proposals: The Process -- Chapter Conclusions -- 4 The Politics of Stock Transfer -- National Politics -- Political Organization Against Transfer -- Politics of Choice -- Contestation Around Local Transfer Proposals -- The Politics of Post-Transfer Local Housing -- Politics of the Welfare State -- Chapter Conclusions -- 5 Governance and Accountability Consequences -- Early Transfers and the Local Public Spending Bodies Debate -- Changing Governance Models -- Post-Transfer Social Housing Governance in Practice: Tensions Played Out -- Evolving Organizational Forms and Governance Frameworks -- Accountability Impacts -- Chapter Conclusions -- 6 Organizational and Cultural Change in Stock Transfer Landlords -- Transfer as Culture Change -- Organizational Culture and Transfer Housing Association Aspirations -- Implementation of 'Culture Change' Reforms -- Customer-Focused Operation -- Organizational Life Cycles -- Intra-Sector Diversity -- Chapter Conclusions.