The European Housing Crisis

Across the continent, housing has increasingly become a financial asset rather than a fundamental right, creating a multi-dimensional emergency. For over a decade, rents and purchase prices have outpaced wages, leaving young people, migrants, and key workers to bear the heaviest burden. This affordability gap is compounded by a striking paradox: millions of properties stand empty while homelessness surges. The crisis also intersects with the climate emergency, as buildings account for a third of European emissions, demanding urgent renovation of existing stock. Acknowledging this reality, the European Union recently appointed its first Commissioner for Housing to oversee a new European Affordable Housing Plan.

This page gathers the evidence base to help you explore these dynamics. Below, you will find crisis-diagnostic reports and market data, from housing emergencies in Edinburgh and Glasgow to property bubbles in Cluj-Napoca and rising prices in Varna. The collection includes studies on financialisation, such as offshore joint ventures in Manchester, alongside research on the vacancy paradox in Baden-Württemberg and demographic pressures in the Gironde. You can also connect with organisations shaping the debate, including the European Network of Housing Research, Pushback Talks, and the KU Leuven Urban Studies Institute. Finally, we invite you to discover upcoming events, ranging from the ENHR Annual Conference to policy discussions on how the new European Parliament and Commission can resolve this emergency.