Who’s the ‘public’ of public housing? Understanding the ‘ideal tenant’ in a unitary rental market through access requirements in Swedish municipal housing companies

The Swedish system of public housing is arguably a bearing pillar under the national housing regime, and an essential part of the unitary rental market, as its apartments – which are provided by municipal housing companies (MHCs) – are available for all, not only low-income individuals. However, access requirements among MHCs restrict access in diverse ways. This paper presents a longitudinal (2013–2022) study of access requirements for prospective tenants in Swedish public housing. It investigates variations and changes in requirements and relates those to discourses of the ‘ideal tenant’ in a unitary rental market. The paper finds that requirements on minimum income have become more generous over time, while at the same time, requirements on ‘good behaviour’ have increased. Such a change in requirements is described in terms of a shift in discourse on the ideal tenant – from the financially stable to the morally responsible tenant. The overall picture emerging is a model of public housing in a contradictory state between national claims of universalism and practices of exclusion. It is concluded that gradual marketisation and political responsibilization have eroded the foundations of the unitary market in Sweden, why the theoretical demarcation between unitary and dualist rental markets become increasingly obsolete.