Description: The vast majority of rental housing around the world is unsubsidized and in private hands. Everywhere there are great needs for safe, decent, and affordable housing at the lowest income levels. A few countries-mostly developed ones-have a sizable social rental sector, yet even here the demand cannot be met and there are often long waiting lists for subsidized housing in the main cities. In most emerging economies, the only affordable rentals available are in the informal sector, with poor housing conditions and little security of tenure.