Universal Claims: tenants’ campaigns for tenure neutrality and a general needs model of social housing

The policy of tenure neutrality championed by the International Union of Tenants advances a model of general needs or universal social rented housing provision unrestricted by income limits or needs-based rationing. Support for this model has been severely undermined by recent European Commission rulings that have restricted access to social housing to those least capable of coping in a competitive market place. As general needs demand for affordable housing continues to swell, the challenge for adherents of tenure neutrality is to demonstrate that universal social housing can meet both the needs of the most vulnerable and the demands of those excluded from homeownership by price inflation and credit limits. This paper examines the promotion of universal social housing by tenants’ organisations and challenges the extent to which this model is intended ‘for all’. It reviews strategies to reinvigorate support for tenure neutrality in arguments for widening access and supply of social housing.