Book review: private rental housing: comparative perspectives edited by Tony Crook and Peter Kemp

A new focus on private renting has been brought into sharp relief by the global financial crisis, with its profound impact on mortgage finance, housing markets and government budgets. Kath Scanlon finds Private Rental Housing: Comparative Perspectives a readable and well-organised introduction to private rented housing systems in other countries. The contributors are all well-known housing scholars (mostly economists), and provide a good overview of the various policy frameworks that condition private renting—including overall housing policy, rent and tenancy regulation, and tax treatment. The careful reader will come away with a better understanding of why simple policy transfer is not straightforward, especially in an area as complex, culturally meaningful and system-embedded as housing.