Mapping the small scale affordable rental housing sector

Small-scale affordable rental housing is increasingly recognised as both an important housing option and a significant contributor to township economic development. The small-scale affordable rental housing sector is highly diverse, incorporating a variety of landlord, tenant and housing typologies, with varying degrees of compliance to norms, standards and regulations. Awareness of crucial differences in small-scale affordable rental housing typologies is important for understanding the varied ways in which they operate as well as their future growth potential and capacity to formalise. Appreciating this diversity is key to developing appropriate responses and support interventions that adequately respond to the needs and opportunities inherent to specific sub-sectors of this housing market. While there may be common issues (e.g. the importance of adequate access to basic services), there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that municipalities can adopt to address key challenges present in the sector and to capitalise on the opportunities it presents.

This pamphlet maps out these differences, provides guidance on what municipalities can do, and how responses and support interventions can adequately respond to the specific sub-sectors of this housing market.