ABSTRACT
Social rented housing had played an important part in the provision of new rented units and had increased its share of the stock. This was most marked in the Netherlands and in Britain. In Britain as the private rented sector declined the share of this market accounted for by accommodation let in connection with employment had grown. In 1976 about 700,000 units, over a quarter of the private rental market, fell into this category. Given the historical development of private rented housing, it is hardly surprising that the sector is concentrated in urban areas. A common pattern in the larger cities whose foundation preceded the industrial revolution was for the historic centre to be surrounded by a ring of high density rented housing built for the new working class. In Denmark rents were lower in the privately rented than in the social sector, but were higher in a very small luxury sub-sector.
