Woonruimte, huren en woonwensen van Amsterdamse Gezinnen in 1962

Summary

This is an analysis of the sample survey returns of some 200 homogeneous households who were asked for both actual and desired housing accomodation and rent, for their intention to move and for their income. These households are divided into four groups by two family sizes and by the intention to move, and several relations are studied by a covariance analysis based on the individual household data. The main objects of the analysis are (i) to establish Engel curves for housing space (number of rooms) and quality (rent per room), (ii) to compare these relations for actual and desired values, and (iii) to assess what rent levels would be acceptable in the absence of rent control which is still enforced. The main result is that the households' wishes follow the same pattern as their actual conditions; the income elasticity of quantity demand for housing varies from .25 to .40 with family size and with the intention to move; for the desired accommodation the same elasticity is about .30. The income elasticity of housing quality (rent per room) is uniformly .35 for all households and for both actual conditions and the households wishes. The maximum acceptable rent level — which varies from 20% to 15% of income — is finally obtained by determining at what level desired rent and actual rent coincide so that the household does not envisage a further increase in housing expenditure.