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Several governments in developing countries have attempted via policies and programmes to improve access to low-cost housing (LCH) finance for low-income house owners, but sustainability has been an issue. Therefore, sustainable LCH (SLCH) financing framework may mitigate issues hindering LCH financing sustainability in developing countries. There is a paucity of studies about SLCH financing through a framework in Nigeria. Thus, the study investigated the barriers facing low-income earners (LInEs) accessing SLCH finance and developed a framework for promoting Nigerian SLCH financing.

The research employed a soft system methodology (SSM) to understand Nigeria’s LCH financing sustainability. The adopted method permitted a substitute to enhance LCH financing sustainability part way through a developed framework. The study conducted interviews across seven cities in Nigeria with selected practitioners.

The results were presented using the SSM seven steps. Findings reveal the state and barriers facing LInEs in accessing SLCH finance. Also, findings show that there is a need for a finance framework. It would improve sustainability, especially for intending low-income house owners across Nigeria’s cities. Findings include a framework to reposition LCH financing sustainability to promote homeowners for intending low-income house owners across Nigeria’s cities.

Besides the developed LCH financing sustainable framework, housing policymakers and developers can employ SLCH financing to improve low-income intending house owners in Nigeria. This may be the first study to develop a SLCH financing framework using SSM in a developing economy.

Housing finance is frequently difficult to provide in developing nations due to unstable macroeconomic conditions and a lack of supportive legal, technological and regulatory frameworks (Lea and Bernstein, 1996). Governments in these countries have, therefore, created a range of organizations and initiatives to improve the flow of capital to the housing market on a footing that is affordable to their populations given the household income levels (Ram and Needham, 2016). Housing, however, is by its very nature a significant investment requiring a considerable capital outlay at the onset (Dasgupta et al., 2014). This makes acquiring it challenging, particularly in underdeveloped nations where saving tendencies are quite low partly because of low-income levels (Keller and Mukudi-Omwami, 2017). As a result, many developing nations struggle with severe housing issues that lead to slums, overcrowding and related health issues.

The theoretical model for analyzing housing finance in Kenya in this study incorporates both demand and supply aspects, drawing from Brueckner’s (1994) framework. This model divides factors influencing demand into certainty and uncertainty conditions faced by households. In terms of certainty, the model considers factors that households can predict reliably. First is income, households are assumed to have stable income, allowing accurate assessment of budget constraints and mortgage decisions. Second is interest rates. While interest rates fluctuate, the model assumes that households have information about current rates, enabling informed decision-making. Finally, existing housing costs, such as rent or mortgage payments, are treated as fixed and predictable, facilitating accurate budget planning. Conversely, uncertainty factors include future income, future interest rates and housing prices. Households face uncertainty regarding future income, which can impact their mortgage repayment ability due to job market changes or unforeseen events. The model does not predict future interest rate changes, which can affect the affordability of mortgages. Furthermore, future fluctuations in housing prices add uncertainty to the benefits of homeownership and mortgage debt. Due to these uncertainties, the model in this study assumes certainty conditions, focusing on households maximizing their utility. In Brueckner’s model, a utility function captures household preferences and well-being linked to consumption choices, specifically between housing (H) and nonhousing goods (N). The utility function helps determine optimal income allocation, influenced by income (M), prices (P) and return on savings (t). The utility maximization problem involves selecting optimal amounts of housing and nonhousing consumption while managing housing credit (C).

The study confirms a significant long-run relationship between house finance and several macroeconomic variables, including interest rates on credit, inflation, unemployment and gross domestic product (GDP). The negative and significant error correction term indicates the presence of an equilibrium relationship, suggesting that the housing finance market in Kenya self-corrects swiftly in response to economic shocks. This efficiency could be attributed to increasing competition among financial institutions or a growing public awareness of housing finance options, implying a relatively well-developed market. Such responsiveness suggests that government policies aimed at influencing housing finance might have a quicker impact. For instance, introducing subsidies to reduce credit rates could rapidly boost housing finance activity (World Bank, 2019). However, the flip side of a fast-adjusting market is potential volatility, where rapid swings in economic factors could lead to significant fluctuations in housing finance availability, posing risks for both lenders and borrowers (Braun et al., 2022). Moreover, a rapid adjustment might not necessarily reflect a perfectly healthy market; it could indicate underlying issues like speculation or easy access to credit, potentially leading to bubbles or financial instability (Agnello et al., 2020).

This study reveals key insights into the determinants of housing finance in Kenya, demonstrating a significant long-run relationship between housing finance and economic variables such as interest rates, inflation, unemployment and GDP. The efficient adjustment of the housing finance market to economic changes suggests that government policies can rapidly influence housing finance, although this responsiveness also implies potential volatility and risks, including financial instability. Policymakers should, therefore, focus on maintaining macroeconomic stability and monitoring the housing market for signs of overheating. Encouraging competition among lenders and diversifying housing finance products can help ensure sustainable market adjustments. Credit interest rates show a modest but positive relationship with housing finance, suggesting that a stable lending environment could stimulate activity. Policymakers should manage credit availability to prevent excessive expansion and instability, enhancing financial inclusion and fostering competition in the banking sector. Inflation positively impacts housing finance, with rising inflation driving demand for real assets like housing. However, significant interest rate hikes by the Central Bank to combat inflation could reduce mortgage affordability. A flexible interest rate policy, along with targeted interventions like subsidized rates for first-time buyers, is necessary to balance market stimulation with inflation control. Unemployment’s negative impact on housing finance underscores the need for robust unemployment benefits and job training initiatives to support financial stability during job losses. Targeted housing finance programs for low- and middle-income earners can also improve mortgage accessibility. The positive correlation between GDP growth and housing finance indicates that economic expansion drives housing demand. Policymakers should prioritize initiatives that promote long-term economic growth, such as infrastructure development and innovation. Finally, the insignificance of savings interest rates in influencing housing finance suggests that traditional monetary policy may have limited effects. Promoting financial literacy and developing tailored savings instruments could strengthen the connection between savings and housing finance over time.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the methods of housing finance adopted by the low income and informal groups in Nigeria.

A survey of 300 households in selected areas (low‐income/informal) of Jos Metropolis, Nigeria, was carried out, concerning the methods of housing finance used for building and home improvement.

The survey showed that 75 per cent of the households utilized traditional methods of financing and 25 per cent using modern methods.

Based on data collected from the survey, the research serves as a basis for further research into traditional methods of housing finance in developing countries.

The analysis of traditional financing methods highlights the range and structure of the traditional methods of financing in operation in informal and low income areas of Jos Metropolis, Nigeria. For example, informal and customary/traditional methods (Esusu/Asusu, Age grade association, Men's Revolving Loan Association, Social club contribution among others), of financing appear to be very effective housing finance methods.

The paper shows that In the absence of formal institutional financing methods, strengthening the community‐based social network through formalisation and empowerment for housing finance becomes vital.

It is argued that it is possible to utilise and formalise these traditional methods of housing finance, in order to enhance access to finance for housing development in low‐income urban areas in developing countries.

Over the past three decade, China has established a housing finance system that borrows from the collective experiences of advanced economies. After examining the evolution of China’s housing finance system, the paper focuses on analyzing its challenges and recent changes. The paper argues that China’s highly-centralized financial system prefers financial stability but neglects financial liberalization, and then resulted in severe financial repression, which hurts the efficiency and equality of the housing finance service. After recovering from the 2008 financial crisis via high-cost financial intervention, China took some policy innovations to promote a decentralized finance mechanism, expand finance resources, and support affordable housing financing, through which China hopes to provide a more stable, affordable, and equal housing finance service to help more households own homes.

Index by subjects, compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals: Facilities Volumes 8‐17; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐17; Property Management Volumes 8‐17; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐17.

This study aims to identify and establish effective housing financing concepts to be adopted by government in achieving its mandate of providing sustainable affordable housing for the poor to decrease the building of shacks, as well as proposing solutions to the housing deficit in South Africa. A rise in demand and shortage in supply of housing calls for the need to address issues of affordable housing in South Africa, and developing countries in general, to ensure a stable and promising future for poor families.

Literature has revealed that the South African government, at all levels, accorded high priority to the provision of low-cost housing. Thus, government has adopted subsidy payment as a method of financing affordable housing to ensure that houses are allocated free to the beneficiaries. This also addresses the historically race-based inequalities of the past, but unfortunately, this has not been fully realised. This study uses a sequential mixed method approach, where private housing developers and general building contractors were the research participants. The qualitative data were analysed using a case-by-case analysis, and quantitative data were analysed using a descriptive statistical technique on SPSS.

The results of the qualitative analysis reveal a gross abuse of the housing subsidies system by the beneficiaries of government-funded housing in South Africa. This is evident from illegal sale of the houses below market value. This has led to a continual building of shacks and an increased number of people on the housing waiting list instead of a decrease in the housing deficit. The results from quantitative analysis affirm the use of “Mortgage Payment Subsidies, Mortgage Payment Deductions, Down-Payment Grant and Mortgage Interest Deductions” as viable alternatives to subsidy payment currently in use to finance affordable housing projects by the South African Government.

At the moment, the focus of the South African National Government is continual provision of free housing to the historically disadvantage citizens, but the housing financing method being used encourages unapproved transfer of ownership in the affordable housing sector. This study thus recommends the use of an all-inclusive housing financing method that requires a monetary contribution from the beneficiaries to enable them take control of the process.

The relational interface model proposed in this study will reduce pressure on government budgetary provision for housing and guarantee quick return of private developers’ investment in housing. Government must, as a matter of urgency, launch a continuous awareness programme to educate the low-income population on the value and the long-term benefits of the housing.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.

The challenge of accessibility to adequate housing in several countries by a large percentage of citizens has given rise to different housing programs designed to facilitate access to affordable housing. In South Africa, the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC) was created to provides housing loans to low- and middle-income earners. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the implication of the macroeconomic risk elements on the performance of the NHFC incremental housing finance.

This study used a mixed-method approach to examine the time-series data of the NHFC over 17 years (2003–2020), relative to selected macroeconomic indicators. Additionally, this study analysed primary data from a 2022 survey of NHFC Executives.

This study found that incremental housing finance addresses a housing affordability gap, caters to disadvantaged groups, adapts to changing macroeconomic conditions and can mitigate default risk. It also finds that the performance of the NHFC’s incremental housing finance is premised on the behaviour of the macroeconomic elements that drive its strategy in South Africa.

Unlike previous works on housing finance, this case study of the NHFC considers the implication of macroeconomic trends when disbursing incremental housing finance to low- and middle-level income earners as a risk mitigation measure for the South African market. Its mixed method use of quantitative and qualitative data also allows a robust insight into trends that drive investment in incremental housing finance in South Africa.

Compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals published by MCB University Press: Facilities Volumes 8‐17; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐17; Property Management Volumes 8‐17; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐17.

Index by subjects, compiled by K.G.B. Bakewell covering the following journals: Facilities Volumes 8‐18; Journal of Property Investment & Finance Volumes 8‐18; Property Management Volumes 8‐18; Structural Survey Volumes 8‐18.