Rental Housing Policy Norms in Stockholm Through A Queer Theoretical Lense

Sammanfattning: Swedish Instrument of Governance and Housing Sustention Responsibility state that everyone living in Stockholm County has the right to housing. This thesis deals with norms created by the first-, second-hand rental market and priority housing rules and regulations in the Stockholm County. Using a queer theoretical framework this thesis analyses the situation of young adults and students, elderly, homeless, LGBTQ and abused persons in housing market in relation to “housing for all” policy and suggests possible policy changes in order to make the rental housing market more inclusive. Queer theory asserts that subjects are precisely constituted by the existing power structures through socio-political arrangements that are based on assumptions. Urban planning by its nature also uses assumptions therefore it also reproduces accepted truths and risks generalizing heterogeneous social groups’ needs, these generalizations might also create cases that are insensitive to personal needs. According to queer theory identities change over time and individuals can belong to more than one category simultaneously and therefore rental housing market requires having awareness of fluidity. This study by using the queer theoretical framework, analyzes the situation of young adults and students, elderly, homeless, LGBTQ and abused persons in Stockholm’s rental housing market by using stories, interviews, policy documents, reports and statistical data to clarify how accepted truths/norms effects the constitution of housing categories, and how these housing categories, for that matter norms that are created by rules and regulations, exclude/include different social groups from the rental housing market. In order to fulfil the laws for “housing for all”, there is a need for more affordable rental housing units as well as regulation luxury renovations, supporting research that is related to housing prices and so on. The laws can also be fulfilled by changing in the norm for rental housing tenants; this can be done decreasing the demands for being eligible tenants including requirement on income for regular queue and requirement of study phase of 50 percent for students. For the second-hand rental housing there is a need of a system that minimizes possible discrimination, a database of accessible housing units could help those that need accessibility issue solved and a wider variety with a bigger housing stock for homeless could benefit homeless that want to change their realities. Concerning usage of housing stock in Stockholm, policy changes like “kompis kontrakt” make it possible to use the existing rental housing stock more efficiently. The conclusions of this study shows that the requirements set by the rules and regulations on first-hand rental housing excludes individuals that have record of non-payment related to housing, an income that is lower than the total of the monthly rent and 4 675 SEK, and that are not credit worthy. For many including homeless sensitiveness to personal needs are critical. The results show that there is number of shelters in Stockholm County is insufficient and the aid given by the social services to shelters reproduces gender binaries through laws.