Unlocking Potential - A Comparative Analysis of Approved Housing Body Models in the European Union

"Unlocking Potential – A Comparative Analysis of Approved Housing Body Models in the European Union" is a report published by Housing Europe and prepared by Dara Turnbull, with participation from Alice Pittini and Diana Yordanova. Commissioned by the Housing Agency (Ireland), it aims to inform Ireland’s strategic review of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) by comparing peer European delivery models.

The report examines “AHB-type” organisations in four EU peers—Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands—using a common structure: governance, strategic role, asset and tenant management, delivery methods, and financing. It emphasises that terms like “social”, “affordable”, “municipal”, and “non-profit” do not translate consistently across countries, which complicates comparative statistics (including OECD classifications).

Housing Europe describes itself as the European federation of public, cooperative, and social housing providers, gathering over 43,000 providers across 31 countries and managing over 25 million homes (around 11% of existing EU dwellings). For the country research, Housing Europe worked with expert bodies including Initia.Vlaanderen (Flanders), BL – Danmarks Almene Boliger (Denmark), KOVA (Finland), and Aedes (Netherlands), supported by questionnaires and interviews.

Flanders’ social housing is fully devolved and legally codified (notably via the 2021 Flemish Housing Code). Reforms merged Social Housing Associations and Social Rental Agencies into “social housing companies” (Woonmaatschappij), reducing providers from 134 to 41 and establishing one provider per municipality. The sector manages roughly 170,000 social dwellings; average waiting time is reported as around four years, with longer waits (up to 10+ years) in some areas.

Decarbonisation and renovation are recurring priorities, linked to EU requirements such as the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU 2024/1275). In Flanders, providers must upload building data to regional systems and submit renovation schedules. A highlighted initiative is Aster, a cooperative owned by social housing companies installing close to 400,000 solar panels (158 MWp), estimated to produce about 130 GWh annually and reduce CO2 emissions by around 35,000 tonnes.

The report compares how systems balance affordability with investment capacity. In Flanders, typical new social housing is financed through 33-year public loans (with interest effectively offset by subsidy mechanisms), alongside corrective supports for providers facing deficits. For Ireland and other countries navigating fiscal constraints, the report flags particular interest in models where providers are structured to be “off-book” in EU debt calculations (notably Denmark and the Netherlands) and where private finance can complement public support while maintaining affordability objectives.