Housing and health regulations in Europe. Summary

A WHO/Europe review looked into the possibilities given by regulations to improve or protect health through improving housing conditions in seven European countries (Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Hungary, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom).

This summary presents selected findings of the project, identifies gaps and options for improvement of the regulatory framework, and formulates policy options to help European policy-makers responsible for health and for housing design their future regulation and/or action plans in the field of housing. Data were gathered through two questionnaires developed by WHO/Europe, focusing on a) the main principles of the regulation regarding housing and health as well as the actors involved in its design, and b) specific housing threats.