Part of the demand and supply market

The city planning authorities are now trying to deal with the problem of rental housing in Cochin.  The experts have underlined the factors responsible for the declining importance of rental housing in the emerging metropolis.  When considering the state of affairs in Real Estate Ernakulam is witnessing wide variations in demand and supply due to a host of factors.  The inflationary expectations related to future rents and period of tenure and changing profile of population are the factors on the demand side.  On the supply side, the availability of institutional support has made ownership housing more accessible.  This type of support is not available to rental housing.  Hence, it is necessary for the government to have a clear and explicit policy on this issue.
 
When reviewing the contribution of the housing cooperatives in some areas, we can identify the need for properly organizing and operating the cooperative sector, so that it could activate and bear the fruits of a social-market economy.  In Kerala’s welfare democracy, the experts suggest that the state as well as the people need to jointly participate in meeting the societal needs.
 
Actually the public agencies face a lot of problems in managing their properties owning to the difficulty in raising rents and the failure to involve the tenants.  The private sector, on the lines of its success in Bombay, can be encouraged to take up reconstruction of dilapidated buildings by offering extra built up areas.  It is possible to go to scale on some of the initiatives taken in a few cities, viz, the management of services by tenant cooperatives, the hiring of premises constructed by public sector employees in lieu of staff housing in the place of employment, encouragement to structural renovation by the occupants of rented premises etc. 
 
The National Housing Policy also recognizes the importance of rental housing in the larger context of a set of shelter strategies to provide shelter for all by the turn of the century. The options for public-private sector collaboration tried out in some cities and the need for further action thus needs special emphasis.