ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors examine the changing nexus between families and property in post-socialist countries. Housing privatization served as the main catalyst for the sharp rise of outright homeownership that became a characteristic feature of post-socialist countries. Rather than fully financialized housing markets, debt-free homeownership created a gap in housing welfare that was filled by households in the form of intergenerational assistance and self-built housing. This chapter focuses on data from the Czech Republic and demonstrates changing tenure preferences since 1990 that have seen the dominance of homeownership. The data reveals how intergenerational intra-family financial (wealth) transfers are the main mechanism in the reproduction of homeownership in Czech society. The research also highlights the significance of indirect reciprocity in intergenerational transfer behaviour. The consequences of intergenerational financial transfers in a system of outright homeownership are analysed in terms of fundamental implications on rising housing wealth inequalities
