From home to asset: shifting housing social representations and practices in Portugal

Abstract

The financialisation of housing is escalating housing inequalities worldwide. However, little is known about how it is producing changes in housing social representations and practices. To advance research in this direction, the content of 42 semi-structured interviews conducted in Portugal were analysed. It was found that housing social representations and practices have significantly changed since the Global Financial Crisis, with impacts at the individual and societal levels. From a home that serves the needs of the household, while embracing risk and engaging financial calculative reasoning, it became an asset that could be sold or used to extract rent in case of need or as part of a profit-making strategy. As the housing crisis unfolds, more studies are needed, particularly on those most affected by widespread logic and practices of financial speculation.