What are the housing rights in EU countries in 2025?
- Portugal Business News
- May 4
- 6 min read
Real Estate News EU - Here are the housing rights in 10 EU countries worth highlighting, including countries that have models that could be reproduced, according to the Amnesty International 2024-2025 annual report. Here is also the required minimum living space in EU countries worth highlighting:
According to the 2024 Report on the right to housing as per European standards and good practices prepared by Mr Padraic Kenna, who is a consultant at the Council of Europe, the right to housing is mainly addressed in Articles 16 and 31 of the European Social Charter.
While the EU Pillar of Social Rights upholds that access to social housing of good quality shall be provided for those in need, affordable housing continues to be a serious and persistent problem in many EU countries, while a few other EU countries have models worth reproducing. The listing of housing rights in EU countries is in alphabetical order.
1) What are the housing rights in EU countries in 2025?
1 – Austria
Austria is one of the EU countries that have affordable housing models worth reproducing.
Austria’s affordable and social housing model: Austria’s funding approach relies on limited-profit housing associations that operate revolving funds under the supervision and management of the federal, regional and municipal governments. Projects developed by limited-profit housing associations are typically financed by multiple sources, including tenant contributions, housing associations’ own equity, and public and commercial loans.
2 - Denmark
Denmark is also one of the EU countries that have affordable housing models worth reproducing.
Denmark’s National Building Fund: A dedicated, stand-alone, self-governing funding institution that was established by housing associations to promote the self-financing of construction, renovations, improvements and neighborhood improvements. Funding is based on a share of tenants’ rents and contributions from housing associations to mortgage loans.
3 - Finland
Finland is among the EU countries that have affordable housing models worth reproducing.
From the 2000s the Finnish government has funded programs to reduce and end homelessness. Unlike other supported housing models, in the Housing First program, individuals do not need to prove they are ‘ready’ for independent housing, or progress through a series of accommodation and treatment services. There are no conditions placed on them, other than a willingness to maintain a tenancy agreement, and Housing First is designed to provide long-term, open-ended support for their on-going needs.
4 - Ireland
Ireland is one of the EU countries where the crisis of housing availability and affordability continues, with record numbers experiencing homelessness, including children.
In March, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights criticized the continued lack of culturally appropriate housing for Travelers and Roma. In May, the government-appointed Housing Commission’s review of housing policy underlined ineffective decision-making and high public expenditure relative to other European states. It recommended a radical strategic reset of their housing policy. It also proposed wording for the constitutional referendum on housing promised by the government but not held by the year’s end.
5 - Netherlands
The Netherlands’ affordable and social housing model: Housing associations have access to a guarantee fund (the Social Housing Guarantee Fund, or WSW). This system of housing associations operates as a sort of “revolving fund”, benefitting from lower interest rates thanks to the WSW and their mutual co-operation agreement to bail out housing associations. Furthermore, the Dutch State and municipalities act as guarantors of last resort for bank loans.
In April, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing noted that the right to housing was not guaranteed in domestic law, and expressed concerns about the acute housing crisis, homelessness and in particular the treatment of non-citizens who are homeless.
6 - Poland
The CESCR expressed concern that a shortage of affordable housing had resulted in a significant proportion of the population living in substandard or overcrowded conditions. It recommended “prioritizing funding for the construction of new and affordable housing units and renovating and modernizing substandard housing”. The committee also recommended that Poland strengthen oversight and enforcement mechanisms to prevent exploitation by landlords and reduce the risk of homelessness.
7 - Portugal
Housing rights in Portugal are a serious problem according to the Amnesty International Report which quotes that “in May and September, the government revoked measures introduced by the “More Housing” program to tackle affordable housing shortages.
The report added that the National Statistics Institute estimated In March that almost 13% of the whole population lived in overcrowded housing. Among people at risk of poverty, 27.7% live in overcrowded conditions. Data published in June by the General Inspectorate of Finance estimated that 60% of tenants did not enjoy security of tenure.
8 - Slovakia
The authorities’ failure to recognize housing as a human right caused a public rental housing crisis, affecting marginalized groups and other households struggling with excessive housing costs. Municipal housing stock was scarce, leaving thousands of low-income households without adequate access to public rental housing options. The strict eligibility criteria for public housing, including minimum income requirements, further limited access, leaving many ineligible to apply. Roma households faced systemic discrimination and segregation in the distribution of municipal housing. Emergency housing options, intended as short-term solutions, often became long-term substitutes due to the lack of affordable housing.
9 - Slovenia
Slovenia is among the EU countries that have affordable housing models worth reproducing.
Slovenia’s Housing Fund: a dedicated fund for housing established to finance and implement the National Housing Program. The Housing Fund is a public finance and real estate fund that provides long-term loans with a favorable interest rate to public and private entities to purchase, maintain and renovate non-profit rental housing or owner-occupied dwellings. The fund also invests in construction and land for development and supports the construction, refurbishment and renovation of housing for vulnerable groups.
10 - Spain
While measures to suspend evictions for people in economically vulnerable situations remained in force, the Housing Law fell short of the protections required under international standards, with 20,581 evictions in the first nine months of 2024. Only two autonomous communities applied the formula provided by the housing law to limit rental prices that commonly increased disproportionately compared to the average salary. In September the European Committee of Social Rights considered that Spain had failed to ensure adequate housing for over 4,500 people, including 1,800 children, affected by power cuts in the neighborhood of Cañada Real, in the capital, Madrid.
2) What is the minimum living space in EU countries?
· In France, the minimum living space is 14 m2 & the minimum size for a studio apartment size is 28 m2. The minimum room heights are 2.2m. in France. The minimum room size for a single bedroom is 7 m2 in France.
· In Italy, the minimum living space is 14 m2 & the minimum size for a studio apartment size is 28 m2. The minimum room heights are 2.7m. in Italy. The minimum room size for a single bedroom is 9 m2 in Italy.
· In Spain, the minimum living space is 18 m2 & the minimum size for a studio apartment size is 20 m2. The minimum room heights are 2.5m. in Spain. The minimum room size for a single bedroom is 6m2 in Spain.
· In Portugal, the minimum size for a studio apartment size is 35 m2. The minimum room heights are 2.7m. in Portugal. The minimum room size for a single bedroom is 6m2 in Portugal.
· In Sweden, the minimum living space is 35 m2 & the minimum room heights are 2.4m.
· In Ireland, the minimum size for a studio apartment size is 37 m2. The minimum room size for a single bedroom is 7.1m2 in Ireland.
· In Germany, the minimum room heights are 2.4m. The minimum room size for a single bedroom is 6m2 in Germany.
