Right to Housing! Now and Forever
As the Affordable Housing Act enters EU negotiations, a European Citizens’ Initiative calls on the Commission to tackle empty, unaffordable and inefficient homes – a key goal of Transforming Invisible Buildings.
Over 50% of city residents consider housing an immediate and urgent problem, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. Nearly nine in ten respondents living in cities (88%) think their city could benefit from renovating existing housing to reduce energy bills.
Concrete action is clearly needed to reaffirm housing as a right. On 9 September, the European Commission presented a proposal for a new regulation, the Affordable Housing Act, which provides a common framework for identifying areas under housing stress and helping local authorities implement justified and proportionate measures to preserve housing for long-term residential use. The regulation is accompanied by recommendations encouraging municipalities to develop a Housing Acceleration Plan to promote inclusive and accessible neighbourhoods, with a particular focus on affordable housing options, especially for young people. Last but not least, it promotes the use of vacant and underused housing and land. Reactivating empty buildings is precisely the ultimate goal of the EUKI project Transforming Invisible Buildings.
Developing a methodology to map vacant buildings
Launched in February 2026, this EUKI project seeks to identify and map vacant buildings in cities, thereby addressing the lack of a standard methodology. This is a challenging exercise requiring access to diverse geospatial data and other forms of sensitive and personal information. The project is currently identifying local experts and will use this methodology to map the existing stock of vacant buildings by April 2027, not only in the pilot capitals of Athens, Zagreb and Ljubljana, but across Europe.
Right to Housing – sign the new European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI)
The homes of tomorrow are already built. Let’s use what we have and house Europe!
It is absurd to have over 47 million vacant buildings while people struggle to afford a decent place to call home. The buildings already exist. What is missing are the rules needed to make the most of them.
Managed by HouseEurope! and supported by around 60 entities – including associations (project’s partners Energy Cities and Habitat for Humanity are among them), local authorities and institutions from across Europe – the European Citizens’ Initiative Right to Housing! Now and Forever aims to collect 1.2 million signatures from at least seven EU countries. This would oblige the Commission either to propose new legislation or explain why it will not act.
What are the initiative’s demands?
USE
- Regulate short-term rentals and vacancy.
- Convert empty buildings, such as vacant homes and offices, into housing.
- Create incentives and fast-track permits to make renovation the first choice.
INVEST
- Ensure public money serves people, not speculation.
- Reform fiscal rules so governments can invest more in housing.
- Create an EU housing fund.
PROTECT
- Set enforceable standards to keep housing affordable and sustainable.
- Keep people in their homes during EU-funded renovations.
- Establish an EU Housing Agency to ensure transparent governance.
The signature collection has began on 14 September and will run for one year. If the threshold is reached, democracy will win, and people’s fundamental rights will have a new opportunity to be realised.
Sign today and help spread the word!