The majority of Sweden’s municipalities have for the last decade reported a housing shortage. This housing shortage, created by a combination of low construction rates and a rapidly growing population, has resulted in the biggest building boom Sweden has seen since the Million Dwellings Program. Although building rates are high, there is a continuous trend of housing becoming increasingly expensive, and the housing shortage today is mainly that of affordable rental housing. During the great housing shortage of the 20th century, the allmännytta, Sweden’s public rental companies was created and their role has traditionally been to provide affordable rental housing for all. Since the 1990s this role has changed and in 2011 the allbolagen 2010:879 was implemented, requiring these previous non-profit companies to act according to business principles, in addition to being socially responsible. This thesis investigates the role of Swedish public rental companies in regards to the current housing shortage and in the light of this law change. This is done through the use of qualitative interviews with representatives of the municipality, the tenant’s association and the allmännytta in the cities of Uppsala, Västerås and Örebro. The study finds that the business principles of the allbolagen 2010:879 is interpreted in different ways by the different allmännytta companies. It further finds that the role of the allmännytta in regards to the housing shortage still is to build rental housing, but the limitations created by the requirement of business principles makes this increasingly difficult as the allmännytta cannot act in ways different from the private sector. Instead they try to take their role of being socially responsible through other, related projects and by housing a disproportionally large amount of those incapable of acquiring housing on their own. Affordability is also increasingly made difficult as the municipality set related goals for the allmännytta’s housing construction, such as sustainability, which pushes prices up. Originally created to deal with the housing shortage of the 20th century, the gradual changes of housing politics since the 1990s renders the allmännytta as neither responsible nor capable to deal with the housing shortage of today by providing and constructing affordable housing. The study finds that the role of the allmännytta in regards to the housing shortage is conflicting, as older ideals of the Folkhem and newer principles of neoliberalism are entangled.

In recent years, along with the soaring housing price level, housing problem in China turned out to be in the spotlight more than ever before. With the high housing price, low and moderate-income families find itvery difficult for them to buy their own dwelling. In order to meet the needs of low and moderate-income families and lessen the overheating, Chinese government carried out some plans, one among which was the Public Rental Housing program. Public Rental Housings mostly serve for low and moderate-income family to live, with a lower rent than market rent on the same condition. And there are other limits or drawbacks such as monitoring and housing register problem. Details of the limits differ from city to city. In this thesis, public renal housing project in Chong Qing, the first city implemented public rental housing to a great extent in China will be studied. Market analysis on both demand side and supply side is carried out to examine the influence on residential market and whether public rental housing can ease the overheating in residential market. A questionnaire is used to study public acknowledgement and satisfaction with public rental housing projects in Beijing (for convenience). The finding is: current public rental housing can ease the market but this policy requires better financing resource, subsidy policy to backup, monitor system and more involvement of society resources.

In recent years, along with the soaring housing price level, housing problem in China turned out to be in the spotlight more than ever before. With the high housing price, low and moderate-income families find it very difficult for them to buy their own dwelling. In order to meet the needs of low and and moderate-income families and lessen the overheating, Chinese goverment carried out some plans, one among which was the Public Rental Housing program. Public Rental Housings mostly serve for low and moderate-income family to live, with a lower rent than market rent on the same condition. And there are other limits or drawbacks sach as monitioring and housing register problem. Details of the limits differ from city to city. In this thesis, Public rental Housing project in Chong Qing, the first city implemented Public rental Housing to a great extent in China will be studied. Market analysis on both demand side and supply side is carried out to examine the influence on residential market and whether Public Rental housing can ease the overheating in residential market. A questionnaire is used to study public acknowledgement and satisfaction with Public Rental Housing projects in Beijing (for convenience). The finding is: Current public Rental Housing can ease the market but this policy requires better financing resource, subsidy policy to back up, monitor system and more involvement of society resources.