Acronyms used
Glossary of housing-related terms
References
Additional resources
Acronyms used:
ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics
AHO Aboriginal Housing Office
AHURI Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute
AWE Average Weekly Earnings
CHINS Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey
CPI Consumer Price Index
DEWR Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
ERP Estimated Resident Population
IHO Indigenous Housing Organisation
LGA Local Government Area
LEP Local Environment Plan
LHS Local Housing Strategy
MHI Median Household Income
ODPM Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (UK)
REP Regional Environment Plan
SD Statistical Division
SSD Statistical Sub Division
Glossary of housing-related terms:
Adaptable and accessible housing
‘Adaptable Housing’ refers to the means of designing a house/unit that enables easy and relatively cheap adaptation to make it fully comply with access standards (refer AS 4299 Adaptable Housing - Class C –add link). This housing is designed in such a way that it can be easily modified in the future to meet changing needs of occupants.
‘Accessible Housing’ refers to housing that has been fully adapted to meet the needs of a particular client or client type (e.g. wheelchair bound).
Affordable housing refers to housing offered at a price or rent that is within the means of lower income households, and is appropriate to their needs. Affordable housing may be produced in the market or through the non profit sector, and is usually subsidised in some way.
Co-housing
Housing that includes provision for shared living spaces, such as cooking and eating areas, and private living spaces.
Community housing
See Social Housing.
Debt and equity finance for housing
Debt: refers to conventional borrowings e.g. a mortgage instrument.
Equity: refers to public or private capital investment in a project.
Developer agreement
See Planning Agreement
Expressed demand
This is demand for a good or service that has been registered, such as on a waiting list or by the action of a household, such as looking for housing. Economists use the term to distinguish between demand that is evident and potential demand that may be hidden or not recognised.
Housing affordability
The rent or purchase price of housing that is appropriate to the needs of a household compared to the capacity of that household to pay, which is usually measured by the level of household income.
Housing assistance
Diversity of ways that governments assist households who cannot access suitable housing in the market.
Housing price points
The range of prices paid for different types of housing in each local area.
Housing provider
A public, private or not-for-profit agency that provides housing services.
Housing stress
This term was first used in Australia by National Housing Strategy (1991/92) to refer to lower income households with high housing costs. Has since been widely used as a (de facto) standard for assessing affordability problems in Australia.
The two most widely used approaches to defining households in housing stress are:
a) Those households whose gross income falls in the bottom 40% of the income distribution and who are paying more than 30% of their household income to meet their housing costs (this is sometimes referred to as the 30/40 rule); or
b)The (larger) group of households who have gross incomes below 120% of the median household income and who are paying more than 30% of their household income to meet their housing costs.
Housing subsidies
Capital or recurrent grants or other in kind assistance (e.g. land transfer) provided to the consumer or producer of designated housing.
Inclusionary zoning
The incorporation of provisions within a planning instrument requiring the inclusion of certain uses or facilities as a mandatory requirement for development approval. Can be used to require that a development include a component of affordable housing or a monetary contribution towards the provision of such housing.
Income definitions: very low, low and moderate income households
A very low income household is defined as having 50% or less of median household income.
Low income households are those with between 50% and 80% of median household income.
Moderate income households have income between 80% and 120% of median household income.
Indigenous community housing
See Social Housing
Leverage
The additional money that a program or project causes others to contribute.
Local housing strategy
A plan of action to encourage provision of a range of housing that aims to meet the existing and future housing needs of the local community.
Market failure
A situation where barriers prevent the normal and efficient operation of a local (housing) market.
Median household income
Median income is a widely used measure of typical or average income. It represents the income level at which 50% of the population (or households) have lower incomes and 50% have higher incomes.
Not-for-profit organisation
A non-government organisation which does not distribute profits.
Partnerships
Partnerships bring together representatives from different sectors and different communities of interest to agree and work towards common goals. Partnerships vary greatly in how they are established and resourced and how they operate. Each partner adds value to the project in some way.
Planning agreement
A voluntary agreement between a planning authority (or authorities) and a developer under which the developer agrees that as part of a development proposal or rezoning that a monetary, land or other contribution will be made towards an agreed public purpose. The Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Development Contributions) Act 2005 sets out certain provisions regulating the making and implementation of certain planning agreements. May also be referred to as Developer Agreements.
Public housing
See Social Housing
Regeneration
Action that leads to the solving of urban problems in areas that have undergone decline. This action aims to achieve a lasting improvement in the physical, economic, social and environmental nature of an area.
Rent Assistance
Commonwealth Rent Assistance is a non-taxable income supplement payment added on to the pension, allowance or benefit of eligible income support customers of Centrelink who rent in the private rental market. Pensioners, allowees and those receiving more than the base rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB A) may be eligible for Rent assistance (www.facs.gov.au March 2006).
Rent setting methods
Market rents: In the context of affordable housing, refers to the rent that an equivalent property in the private market would rent for.
Cost rents: Refers to the rent level necessary to cover the operating costs of a housing provider, usually calculated on a pooled costs basis across a project or
program.
Affordable rents: Rents that meet defined standards of affordability for specified target households
Income related rents: Practice used in social housing in Australia of setting a tenant’s rent as a percentage of their household income (e.g. 25% or 30%).
Special needs households
Households with personal characteristics that need to be taken into account in designing and/or providing housing, such as different forms of disabilities or cultural needs.
Shared ownership schemes
Tenure forms where the resident and another (public, community or private) investor jointly own the property. May also be referred to as shared equity schemes.
Social capital
Our social networks – how we relate to each other – and the social norms (rules) and trust that underpin these – the ‘glue’ that holds our networks together. Policies and programs addressing this concept are designed to promote well developed social networks and higher levels of trust and reciprocity in communities.
Social housing
Forms of subsidised housing, usually rental, for designated households.
In Australia includes:
Public housing: Social housing owned and operated by public agencies.
Community housing: Social housing managed (and sometime owned) by a not for profit community based organisation.
Indigenous community housing: Social housing owned and (usually) managed by indigenous community organisations.
Social or ethical investors
Investors who accept a lower (than market) return for their investment in return for contributing to an affordable housing scheme.
Sweat equity schemes
Housing projects where residents assist in construction and related development, in return for a reduced purchase price.
Sustainable development
Activity that achieves mutually reinforcing economic, social and environmental benefits without compromising the needs of future generations.
Target group
The designated group for which a housing program or project is intended.
Source: Some of the definitions of terms have been taken from http://www.renewal.net/JargonBuster.asp
References:
ABS (1998) Household Investors in Rental Dwellings, Australia, June 1997 (ABS Cat. No. 8711.0) Canberra.
ABS (2004) - Household and Family Projections, Australia, 2001 to 2026 (ABS Cat no 3236.0)
Bisset, H and Milligan, V (2004). “Risk Management in Community Housing.” Report for the National Community Housing Forum. NCHF, Sydney:
http://www.nchf.org.au/downloads/RiskManagementReport.pdf
Brundtland Report (1987), “Our Common Future”, The Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED).
Burke T and Ewing S (1999) “Housing: Your Basic Infrastructure – A Toolkit for Local Government Housing Policies, Strategies and Actions. A report for the Municipal Association of Victoria.
DoP (Department of Planning) (2005) “City of Cities” NSW Government Metropolitan Strategy for Sydney
Gabriel, M, Jacobs, K, Arthurson, K, Burke, T and Yates, J (2005) “Conceptualising and Measuring the Housing Affordability Problem”. Background Report for Collaborative Research Venture, ‘Housing Affordability for Lower Income Australians’, AHURI, Melbourne.
Gurran, N, Squires, C and Blakely, E (2005) Meeting the Sea Change Challenge: Sea Change Communities in Coastal Australia, Report for the National Sea Change Taskforce, Planning Research Centre, University of Sydney.
Landt, J and Bray, R (1997) “Alternative Approaches to Measuring Rental Housing Affordability in Australia”. Discussion Paper no. 16. NATSEM, University of Canberra, Canberra.
http://www.natsem.canberra.edu.au/pubs/dps/dp16/dp16.html
Milligan, V (2005) Directions for Affordable Housing Policy in Australia: Outcomes of a Stakeholder Forum. Background Report for Collaborative Research Venture, ‘Housing Affordability for Lower Income Australians’. AHURI, Melbourne.
NHS (National Housing Strategy) (1991) “The Affordability of Australian Housing”, Issues Paper 2, AGPS, Canberra
ODPM (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) (2005) “Local Housing: A Practice Guide” London
PC (Productivity Commission) (2004) “First Home Ownership”. Report No. 28, Productivity Commission, Melbourne: http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiry/housing
Richardson R, Phibbs P and Gurran N (2005) “Planning for Affordable Housing In Manly And Warringah”. A NSW Local Government Housing Initiative Program study sponsored by the Departments of Housing and Planning and Manly and Warringah Councils.
Wulff M and Yates J (2001) “Low Rent Housing in Australia.” Australian Housing Research Fund Project no 213. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra
Yates J (1996) “Towards a reassessment of the private rental market” Housing Studies; Vol. 11 Issue 1, p35-51.
Yates, J and Gabriel, M (2006) “Housing Affordability in Australia”. Background Report for Collaborative Research Venture, ‘Housing Affordability for Lower Income Australians’, AHURI, Melbourne.
Yates J, Wulff M, Reynolds M (2004) “Changes in the supply and need for low rent dwellings in the private rental market.” Final Report. Melbourne: AHURI.
Additional resources:
Readers are encouraged to explore the Centre For Affordable Housing Website for a list of additional resources.