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Teller, Nóra; Somogyi, Eszter; Tosics, Nóra --- "Social context, evictions and prevention measures in Hungary" [2018] ELECD 1489; in Kenna, Padraic; Nasarre-Aznar, Sergio; Sparkes, Peter; Schmid, U. Christoph (eds), "Loss of Homes and Evictions across Europe" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2018) 141

Book Title: Loss of Homes and Evictions across Europe

Editor(s): Kenna, Padraic; Nasarre-Aznar, Sergio; Sparkes, Peter; Schmid, U. Christoph

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN: 9781788116985

Section: Chapter 4

Section Title: Social context, evictions and prevention measures in Hungary

Author(s): Teller, Nóra; Somogyi, Eszter; Tosics, Nóra

Number of pages: 21

Abstract/Description:

The financial crisis of 2008 greatly increased the vulnerability of many households in Hungary. Beyond the growth of poverty risk in general, there has also been a dramatic increase in the number of severely materially deprived people. Austerity measures have increased the level of poverty, as has the shift to workfare. There are also substantial affordability problems: in 2013, the share of those who had fallen behind with utility or loan repayments was approximately 26 per cent of the total population. The increase in eviction figures also points to growing housing insecurity in general: in 2012, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) reported 966 evictions from municipal rentals and the judicial executors performed approximately 500 evictions in the same year. In 2016, the figure of evictions grew to over 1 700. Eviction processes based on execution procedures for outstanding payments are quasi-automated, which leaves less room for indebted households to react and to turn the process around. The social protection system seems to work only limitedly for vulnerable households; housing allowance is not high enough to prevent the accumulation of housing-related debts. The arrears management system also fails to prevent evictions even in the case of relatively low amounts of arrears, and the central programme was ceased in 2015. Social work is not proactive and there is lack of cooperation between social services and private and public landlords. Indebted households, with foreign currency based mortgage loans, have received assistance through various grants and schemes, but the general housing affordability challenge still prevails. These phenomena seem to have exacerbated in the past few years and there is a lack of policy change in 2017. All of these factors bring about an increase in housing insecurity for the most vulnerable.