Rethinking Housing as a Fundamental Right Over Market Commodities

• Housing is a basic necessity essential for human dignity, yet it is currently treated merely as a market asset.
• A significant portion of the population faces severe housing insecurity, preventing basic independence and financial stability.

Proposed Regulatory Changes

• Objective Price Caps: Implementing price ceilings for rentals based on tangible factors such as square footage, location, age, and maintenance condition.
• Treating Rentals as Economic Activity: Every residential rental should be treated as a formal economic activity, subject to specific regulatory and fiscal standards regardless of the landlord type.
• Balancing Rights and Obligations: Legal frameworks must protect the tenant's right to live in a home while ensuring that landlords receive fair treatment, provided tenants fulfill their duties to maintain the property.

The Role of Public Administration

• Strengthening Public Housing: The state must move beyond simple market regulation and actively ensure an adequate supply of affordable public housing to prevent the formation of ghettos.
• Utilizing Existing Assets: Repurposing distressed assets, such as those held by SAREB, into a stable, publicly managed rental inventory.
• Addressing Inequality: With one-third of renters spending over half their income on housing, the state must address both the ceiling on rental prices and the underlying stagnation in wages that makes housing unaffordable for many.