UIPI contributes to the European Affordable Housing Plan consultations
Throughout 2025, the European Commission launched a Call for Evidence followed by a public consultation to shape the upcoming European Affordable Housing Plan. UIPI participated in both initiatives to ensure that the interests of private homeowners and landlords are represented in the preparatory work and to bring a constructive and balanced perspective on housing availability, affordability and sustainability.
While the EU has no direct competence in housing policy, a growing number of EU initiatives in areas such as energy, climate, finance, and the internal market increasingly impact national housing systems. In its responses, UIPI highlights that the European Affordable Housing Plan is an opportunity to better align these actions, offering clarity and coherence to address structural challenges without infringing on Member States’ competences. For this purpose, UIPI suggests guiding principles and areas of action, which can contribute to making the Affordable Housing Plan a success.
UIPI stresses that Europe’s housing challenges are systemic but highly diverse, varying widely between countries, regions and population groups. It calls for EU policies that avoid one-size-fits-all solutions and instead support locally adapted approaches within a coherent EU framework.
UIPI underlines the need for better EU coordination, particularly across energy, climate, finance and internal market policies that increasingly shape national housing systems. The proposed Affordable Housing Plan should act as a strategic reference point, improving policy coherence without adding new layers of regulation.
UIPI also advocates a balanced housing ecosystem, recognising the complementary roles of homeownership, social housing and the private rental sector. With nearly 70% of EU citizens living in owner-occupied homes and around 20% in private rentals, these segments are essential to any effective affordability strategy.
Key policy recommendations include aligning climate objectives with housing affordability, simplifying construction and permitting processes, improving access to mortgage credit, carefully revising State aid rules to preserve fair competition, and better leveraging EU and EIB financial instruments for affordable and sustainable housing investment.
UIPI concludes that while housing remains primarily a national responsibility, the EU can play a meaningful role by improving coordination, mobilising investment and supporting best practices, and ultimately helping deliver more affordable, sustainable and accessible housing across Europe.
Read UIPI’s full response and considerations ahead of the publication of the European Affordable Housing Plan expected in December 2025: Feedback from: International Union of Property Owners (UIPI).
