In the context of an ongoing fiscal crisis, and a large supply of
unsold private dwellings, the likely extensive use of the rental
accommodation framework laid out in the Housing Act 2009
will end the historic role played
by social housing as a stepping stone to home ownership, as
the dwelling remains the property of the private landlord with
no possibility of tenant purchase. The rental accommodation
framework will also break with another key feature of local
authority housing, viz. long-term security of tenure. Indeed,
the reliance on contract and leasing arrangements in this
social housing sub-sector will likely generate a momentum for
short-term tenancies and rents tied to market costs to
become the norm throughout all sectors of social housing.