Foreign exchange

Council housing debt is a hot topic at the moment in England thanks to the ongoing review of the housing revenue account. In most other countries, however, it’s not an issue as such — either local authorities don’t directly own much social housing (Denmark, the Netherlands), and/or their debt levels aren’t subject to central government control (the USA, Germany). So how do they do it? Read on for a snapshot of how five countries handle social housing finance and lessons they might hold for their English counterparts.