Housing in Norway

Link to the most recent News from CECODHAS members in Norway

The main goal for the Norwegian housing policy is to provide everybody with a good home at an affordable price and a sustainable housing environment.  A common understanding in the 1950s was that it would be rational to support the establishment of housing co-operatives at the expense of building up a large public housing sector. This fact explains why there is only a small public rental sector in Norway. Until the 1990s a general housing policy provided everybody with subsidised loans and grants if they bound themselves to build dwellings within certain standards set by the State Housing Bank. An important change took place during the 1990s.  Price regulation of housing co-operatives built with subsidies was as a general rule abolished already in 1983. During the next decade the deregulation of the housing market took place. The main goal for the housing policy has not changed through the past 50 years, but the means to achieve the goals are quite different today than in the past. While the means in the past were public regulations and public subsidies for everybody, the means today is to let the market rule. Public support is only given to the poorest and least able to provide for a decent home for themselves. In the main cities the demand for homes as well as the prices is high. Low income households and young people can hardly afford to buy a flat, while the situation may be quite different in other regions with less pressure. Prices have been increasing rapidly during the past 11 – 12 years and this trend has continued in 2003. 

Access criteria

There are no specific access criterias for housholds to any kind of housing in Norway. The local authorites are responsible for providing suitable housing for those who are not able to do so themselves. As mentioned above there are a small public rental sector in Norway. A part of these public rental dwellings are not social housing at all, but just an instrument to attract qualified personel of different kind needed in the public services.  The order in which public rental housing is allocated may be through a waiting list. The housing co-operatives and the co-operative housing associations have traditionally been a partner for the local authorities in providing social housing. The local authorities have the legal right to buy 10 % of the dwellings in the co-operative housing associations new building projects. In many cases the co-operative housing associations act, on behalf of the local authorities, as developers and managers of housing with care and health services and any other housing for people with special needs.         

Financing social housing

Most of the social housing built the last 50 years has been provided by the co-operative housing associations. The Norwegian State Housing Bank was established by a special Act in 1946. Since then, it has been the central government's main instrument for implementing the housing policy. Until the 1990s most of the housing provided by the co-operative housing associations were built with subsidised loans and grants from the State Housing Bank. The role of the State Housing Bank has however been changing over the years and the importance of the bank has been gradually reduced in step with the development towards a free market economy. Today the State Housing Bank finance not more than approximatly 50 % of the dwellings built in Norway every year, while the number has been as high as 90 % historically. The State Housing Bank’s foremost goal today, is to ensure that all individuals live in satisfactory homes situated in good housing environments. The Bank provides loans and grants to build homes for those needing special care - including nursery homes, and other buildings and constructions that naturally belong in housing environments. To enable groups that are given special priority to establish themselves in suitable homes, the Housing Bank provides first home loans and various grants. Loans and grants for these purposes are primarily canalized through the municipalities. Additionally the Bank provides loans to urban renewal and rehabilitation of buildings and housing environments. Furthermore, the Housing Bank administrates housing allowances that are allocated to families with children and retired people with low incomes combined with high housing expenses.

Organisations involved in social housing

The municipalities are responsible for social housing. The government through the State Housing Bank, provides the financial means. The Norwegian Federation of Co-operative Housing Associations (NBBL)  is the main organisation involved in social housing. The goal for the co-operative housing associations is to provide good dwellings for their members, but in line with the co-operative principles they have also taken on a considerable responsibility as partners for the local authorities in social housing.

Regulation of Housing

Important legal instruments are: The Co-operative Housing Associations Act, the Housing Cooperatives Act, the Owner-Tenant Act, the Rent Act, and the Act defining Municipal rights of pre-emption related to housing co-operatives. The Planning- and Building Act regulates building cases, expropriation, refunding and building codes. The Building Act defines the overall framework for the construction activities in regards to health, environment, safety and building design and architecture.

The right to housing

The right to housing is not mentioned in the constitution. The political parties all agree to, and have a common goal for the housing policy. This goal is that everybody have the right to a decent home with a sustainable housing environment. It is only in the Soacial Act  there are two provisions dealing with the right to housing. The first one deals with the local authorities' responsability to provide housing for groups of persons who are in a difficult situation. The other one deals with the local authorities' duty to provide people in need with temporary homes.

Statistics

Population:                                       
4,6 million inhabitants 
14,7 % aged above 65 
Projected population in 2010: 4,7  million inhabitants