Housing Finance and Strategy
This module will develop your understanding of housing finance and the strategic roles local authorities, housing associations, and the private sector play in the delivery of housing in the UK.
Key facts
Overview
This module will develop your understanding of housing finance and the strategic roles local authorities, housing associations, and the private sector play in the delivery of housing in the UK. Through interactive online learning, we explore the operation of housing markets and systems, along with the impacts of interventions to promote housing affordability across tenures. By understanding the role housing plays in the wider economy, the module outlines how we can best plan and pay for the housing we need today and for the future. We consider housing policy in the context of financialisation and the ways in which housing need and demand are assessed to inform strategy. This is a core module for students interested in finance and strategy, and for practitioners seeking Continuing Professional Development.
Housing finance is what underpins the production and consumption of housing. It refers to resources used to build and maintain housing, as well as the money needed to pay for it, such as rents, mortgage loans, and repayments. Finance strategy involves planning and paying for housing delivery. Module HOUP400 explores the responsibilities local authorities, housing associations, and the private sector have for housing finance and strategy.
Module HOUP400: Housing Finance and Strategy introduces students to key concepts in housing finance, including debates concerning housing affordability and the role housing plays in the wider economy. The module explores the concept of housing financialisation and its enduring influence on housing policy, as well as considering the ways in which stakeholders can influence housing strategy. Students will engage with theory, policy and practice examples, while also developing transferable research, analytical and digital skills.
This module is relevant to students planning for careers in housing, strategy or related fields, as well as professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of housing finance and strategy.
Entrance requirements
A minimum of a second class honours degree (2.1 preferred) or equivalent. Applicants without these formal qualifications but with significant appropriate/relevant work/life experience are encouraged to apply.
English language requirements
If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:
- IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each sub-skill.
- Pearson Test of English (Academic) 62 overall with 60 in each sub-skill.
- TOEFL exams taken before 21 January 2026: 88 overall with 20 in reading, 19 in writing, 19 in listening and 22 in speaking.
- TOEFL exams taken from 21 January 2026: 4.5 overall with no less than 4 in any band.
See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.
Objectives
This 20-credit module provides a starting point for understanding the range of factors, influences and activities associated with planning, investing in and paying for housing.
On completion of this module, you will be able to:
- Critically interpret a range of financial and quantitative data for housing needs assessment and strategic planning for housing.
- Analyse and evaluate the operation of housing finance systems and the wider consequences of housing markets and financialisaton.
- Critically assess the changing nature of housing aspirations and strategies to deliver affordable housing across tenures.
Structure and content
Over seven sessions this online module explores key concepts of housing need, demand and housing aspirations. The module builds on the concepts of housing needs assessment and strategic planning to consider the mechanisms for delivery by which central government and local providers deliver and manage the required portfolio of housing, in the appropriate form and locations. We explore housing affordability and the key drivers of housing costs. The module considers the importance of housing in the wider economy, and the role of housing finance and strategy in attaining broader social welfare goals.
Students will examine housing need and demand, explore approaches to delivering affordable housing, and apply learning to real-world practice examples of housing finance and strategy. The module develops skills in interpreting quantitative data and applied learning activities to support professional research approaches and digital skill development.
Delivery and assessment
The module is delivered through weekly live online lectures supported by guided discussion boards and learning materials. Students are expected to actively engage with peers and contribute to discussion. Assessment includes an online exam, with opportunities for formative feedback and skills development.
Module coordinator
Employability
This module supports employability by strengthening your understanding of finance, policy and strategy within a housing context. You will develop analytical and quantitative skills valued across organisations, including at strategic, policy and practice levels, and gain insight into the challenges of real-world professional practice.
What next?
Contact us
If you have any questions about entry requirements for our continuing professional development and short courses, contact our Admissions team.
For all other questions, please use our enquiry form.