ABSTRACT
Housing policies and housing markets differ extremely across countries. This chapter examines how different aspects of housing policy, and the resulting housing markets, affect the housing options and choices of immigrants and ethnic minorities in general. Limitations in the housing options of ethnic minorities are an important cause of ethnic segregation, depending on to what extent housing available for them is concentrated in certain parts of the cities.
It is a general conclusion from the research literature that ethnic minorities face a disadvantage in the housing market and are mostly confined to the least desirable housing in the inner city or in peripheral parts of the cities. Lack of housing space is common. Ethnic minorities manage, however, very differently in the housing markets in different countries. The housing options of ethnic minorities are influenced by that they mostly have lower incomes, have special preferences for housing and neighbourhood, have defective knowledge about how to act in the housing market and lack social relations to decision makers in housing. Moreover they sometimes experience discrimination from landlords, banks and real estate agents. The supply and character of rented housing, especially social housing, is of essential importance for them.
