Over the last 20 years there have been significant changes in the choices people are making in whether they wish to rent or own their house, flat or apartment. In the early 1980’s West European countries averaged between 50% and 60% of homes owner occupied as opposed to rented. However as years progress into the early 2000s there have been some very significant changes with most countries seeing a significant reduction in the number of properties rented. Some of the most significant changes in the percentage of properties rented in Western Europe are:
From 1980/81 to 2001/02
UK from 42% to 30%; Luxembourg from 39% to 26%; Netherlands from 58% to 46%; Spain from 21% to 11%.
One possibility for this trend is the increasing standards of living combined with market changes improving the choice and availability of financial products to purchase properties. However also to be considered is the very significant differences when comparisons are made across countries. Below is a summary of the most recent data found on the percentage of homes rented for each country.
Austria 40%; Belgium 31%; Denmark 51%; Finland 32%; France 40%; Germany (ex FRG) 55%;...