Housing Finance

Abstract

The role of finance extends throughout the whole of the housing provision process. Even dwellings achieving only the minimum standard acceptable in advanced societies consume considerable amounts of real resources and consequently their production entails large sums of money. Insofar as developers expect their investment to generate a profit, subsequent purchase by landlords or owner occupiers will, in the absence of a collapsed market, also require large sums. Moreover, the long gestation period for new housing may mean a lengthy delay separating investment and return. Companies and individuals may raise the initial costs directly from their own resource but, generally, the circumstances contribute to a situation where production and consumption is facilitated by well-developed arrangements for making finance available.