Housing tenure trajectories and health: reflections on a research gap

Abstract

Previous research has documented better physical and mental health among homeowners than among renters and individuals living in other housing tenures, presumably because homeownership contributes to a better quality of the built environment, reinforces pre-existing socio-economic advantages, and alleviates house-related stress by providing a sense of "ontological security". To date, most of the research on homeownership and health has been conducted in a cross-sectional manner, while studies adopting longitudinal and life-course perspectives are rare. This research note discusses potential research developments to fill this gap, building on the theoretical framework of life-course epidemiology, with a specific focus on the European context.