Originally published in 1988, this book concentrates on urban land policy and was particularly significant when it was originally published because the 1980s were an era when the rich were getting richer and the poor poorer and in which changes in the ownership of and access to real estate contributed to this polarisation. The book focusses on some core topics, namely: The buying, selling and holding of land by public agencies; the land market, including the impact of taxation and subsidisation; the control of the land market through town planning controls. There are chapters devoted to urban land policy in the former West Germany, The Netherlands, France, the former Yugoslavia, the UK and USA.

Tenancy law has developed in all EU member states for decades, or even centuries, but constitutes a widely blank space in comparative and European law. This book fills an important gap in the literature by considering the diverse and complex panorama of housing policies, markets and their legal regulation across Europe. Expert contributors argue that that while unification is neither politically desired nor opportune, a European recommendation of best practices including draft rules and default contracts implementing a regulatory equilibrium would be a rewarding step forward.

The authors give a detailed examination of how private and social rented housing are provided. They explain the development, financing and management of rented housing, giving the aims and instruments of housing policy.