The effects of subsidies and regulatory contexts on precarious housing among low-income renters: a cross-national comparison

Abstract

This study examines the extent to which housing allowances and social housing protect against housing precarity experienced by low-income renters. By applying panel data modelling to Australian and UK data, we estimate how housing allowances and social housing affect low-income renters’ experience of housing stress, overcrowding, rent arrears and forced moves. We find that the design of rental subsidy programs and the regulatory context within which each subsidy is implemented, are systematically linked to the level and type of precarity experienced by low-income renters. Specifically, relative to housing allowances, the design of social housing subsidies feature more targeted eligibility cr..