Housing in Portugal and the COVID-19 Pandemic

The adoption of important housing-related measures in Portugal occurred in 2018/2019, before the period in which the SARS-COV-2 pandemic began to manifest itself. Although these measures intended to anticipate and regulate several dimensions of the right to housing, they were not fully prepared, or were not in a state of concreteness, such as to allow a timely reaction to Covid-19 related changes. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the intersection between the new demands brought about by the pandemic and the distinct legal responses that had an impact on the housing market in Portugal.

House prices and COVID-19 pandemic shocks in India: a nonlinear ARDL analysis

PurposeIndia is one of those countries that are severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the upsurge in the cases, the country recorded high unemployment rates, economic uncertainties and slugging growth rates. This adversely affected the real estate sector in India. As the relation of the housing market with the gross domestic product is quite lasting thus, the decline in housing prices has severely impacted the economic growth of the nation. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to gauge the asymmetric impact of COVID-19 shocks on housing prices in India.Design/methodology/approachStudies revealed the symmetric impact of macroeconomic variables, and contingencies on housing prices dominate the literature. However, the assumption of linearity fails to apprehend the asymmetric dynamics of the housing sector. Thus, the author uses a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model to address this limitation and test the existence of short- and long-run asymmetry.FindingsThe findings revealed the long- and short-run asymmetric impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and the peak of the COVID-19 on housing prices. The results indicate that the peak of COVID-19 had a greater impact on housing prices in comparison to the outbreak of COVID-19. This can be explained as prices will revert to normal at a speed of 0.978% with the decline in the number of COVID-19 cases. Whereas the housing prices rise at a rate of 0.714 as a result of government intervention to deal with the ill effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, it can be inferred that both the outbreak and peak of COVID-19 will lead to a minimal decline in housing prices, while with the decline in the number of cases and reduction in the impact of the outbreak of COVID, the housing prices will rise at an increasing rate.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to understand the impact of the outbreak and peak of COVID-19 on the housing prices separately.

Emerging and Evolving Data Trends Since COVID-19 Began

The authors of these contributions work for different federal agencies focused on consumer protections, housing markets, secondary mortgage lending, and regulatory oversight. In the first article, "Characteristics of Mortgage Borrowers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from the National Mortgage Database," Greta Li, David Low, and Judith Ricks (2022) present evidence about who took advantage of forbearance, which gave homeowners a temporary pause on mortgage payments. The number, though, has become increasingly censored as vaccines and therapies have reduced side effects, at-home testing has expanded and reduced reporting to public authorities, and data collection has become less frequent and less detailed.

Housing vulnerability and sublease during lockdown. Experiences the Latin Americans in Barcelona

Subleasing is the housing solution that accommodates the most vulnerable and residentially excluded urban groups, including a large part of the Latin American immigrants residing in the city of Barcelona and its metropolitan area. By conducting 16 interviews with members of this group living in sublet rooms, this article analyzes the impact on them of the compulsory confinement decreed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate that subleasing can mask situations of homelessness and substandard housing that does not guarantee security or stability for this group when facing confinement. On the contrary, the residential deficiencies became more tangible during this period, penalizing especially those nuclear families living in a room, women and those in an irregular administrative situation.

The Extended House as Response to the Post-pandemic Housing Needs: Hints from the Real Estate Market

The paper presents a study of new ways of living in response to the crisis from Covid 19-pandemic. In 2020, with the arrival of the pandemic and the repeated lockdowns, the limitations of apartments, conceived in a minimalist key that characterized the 20th century, were evident, especially due to the absence of common spaces;in fact, the concept of home has changed, becoming places used for the most varied activities previously carried out outside of them (e.g., work, study, culture, leisure, etc.). In the light of this, there is an increasing need for homes that are “More than living”, i.e., equipped with free spaces (study rooms, terraces, gardens, gyms, etc.) that can allow these activities to take place and satisfy the changing needs of users. However, these homes are not always affordable for everyone, which is why many families are opting for more peripheral locations where, instead, it is possible to access larger homes with outdoor spaces. In this context, the contribution analyzes, based on a questionnaire submit to a sample of consumers, the willingness of users to live in houses where access spaces are shared. This could allow for more work and leisure space without resulting in an excessive increase in the rent or market price of the property. The first results obtained confirm the thesis that argues that the type of co-housing, or rather of the extended house, can be a valid response to new housing needs by making the use of accessory spaces accessible and affordable. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Methods of Construction to the Meet Housing Crisis in the UK Residential Sector: A Comparative Study between Timber Frame and Masonry Construction

Major efforts have been invested in the UK Residential sector to meet the increasing housing demands, deliver sustainability, and improve its resiliency against many uncertainties. While data/information within the UK residential sector relating to location, sizes and volumes are annually updated, there is limited emphasis on the methods of construction that support meeting housing demands. Over the years, it has been recognised that the UK residential sector has been dominated by two methods of construction: timber frame and masonry. This study aims to holistically compare timber frames with masonry as the two domineering construction methods for the UK residential sector. The comparison will be based on build costs, preference and drivers by construction professionals, longevity and consumer confidence, and sustainability. The research methodology was developed based on applying mixed methods of quantitative data analysis of build costs and qualitative data assessment of semi-structured interviews. The findings showed that, from a build cost perspective, masonry methods of construction are a more cost-effective choice with major variation in material cost. However, although the masonry method of construction was more favoured, in many respects, small-in-size developers show more tendency to timber frames, as this is being rationalised by meeting sustainability targets. Practical implications show that the future of the residential sector in meeting the housing demands would heavily depend on Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), as it offers a more optimised mechanism;however, the uptake of this is considerably low. Future studies will enquire into pillars to make MMC efficient in the UK residential sector.

COVID-19 and the Single-Family Home Market: One City's Experience

According to the National Association of Realtors, the supply of houses nationwide dwindled to a 1.9-month supply in December 2020 from a high of 4.98-month's supply in May. The National Association of Realtors reported that the existing home median price in all metropolitan areas increased from the same quarter the previous year, the first time since 1980.1 The proportion of first-time buyers is lower, and buyers are less likely to be denied credit by lenders, but the median purchase prices have jumped 26% compared to pre-pandemic times.2 The increase in home prices hurt housing affordability, but was partially offset by low mortgage rates that continued to drop throughout 2020;30-year mortgage rates started 2020 in the mid-3% range and ended the year in the mid-to-upper 2% range. Many more rural areas were spared the most devastating effects of the virus until later in 2020. [...]the impact on housing supply and demand did not begin to occur until COVID-19 cases began to mount locally. The town, incorporated in 1811, was the first incorporated city in Alabama. [...]1940 it was primarily a hub for cotton production.

Marginally housed or marginally homeless?

The English homelessness scheme has been lauded as being one of the most progressive in the world for offering an individually legally enforceable right to housing to those people who meet the statutory criteria. Its definition of homelessness is also liberal by comparison with many other countries within Europe and beyond, extending significantly beyond the stereotypical rooflessness experienced by rough sleepers. Nevertheless, the scheme is highly selective and targeted, and assesses homelessness through a test of relative need, rather than enshrining a minimally acceptable standard of housing. It thereby creates a category of the marginally housed whose housing needs are assessed as insufficiently poor to be officially categorised as homeless, yet who are living in severely inadequate housing. To reduce the uncertainty and contingency of the current test, the paper proposes the adoption of a new test of habitability.

The effects of word-of-mouth and online review marketing strategies on students’ satisfaction with their housing selection during COVID-19 season

Purpose>This study aims to examine the effect of using word-of-mouth and online housing website strategies for student housing selection and building services satisfaction during COVID-19.Design/methodology/approach>The study adopted mixed-methods research approach. An online survey of 975 public and private university students experience on room selection prior to school re-opening in Ghana was used. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and multiple regression model (MRM) were used to estimate the satisfaction of using online websites and word-of-mouth strategies (renting housing based on personal recommendation) on student room pricing and building services availability. Telephone interviews were further used to support the results of EFA and MRM.Findings>The study reveals that most students were satisfied with the word-of-mouth strategy than online review marketing strategy for room selection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondly, online student housing review marketing strategy provided higher rent which did not reflect the services available. Furthermore, students were more interested in the nature of rooms, lavatories and kitchen in their choice of room than availability of internet, study area, television (TV) room and gym center.Practical implications>The study suggest that student housing managers require to market their facilities as-it-is than to use one room as an advertising justification for all rooms which does not usually provide a true reflection of the existing situation of room. Again, housing which rely on online marketing strategies need to provide compensation for students who feel they have been misled by their advertisement.Originality/value>The provision of compensation to students and availability of COVID-19 protection measures determine student room selection. Asides, the introduction of online marketing strategies in student housing in sub-Saharan student housing market is new, and, consequently, this study on it is a novelty.

A Place to Call Home: More Institutions Are Moving Forward with Developing Student Housing

Community college students are more likely to be low-income, people of color and first generation in their family to attend higher education than their four-year peers. For a combination of these reasons, they are more apt to be housing insecure. This article discusses how some community colleges are providing new solutions for residences for students.