THE ORGANIZATION AND PERFORMANCE OF A LOW-INCOME RENTAL MARKET - THE CASE OF GABORONE, BOTSWANA

Housing deficits have reached alarming proportions in many Third World cities where demand continues to exceed supply. In the main, most ind ependent governments have concentrated upon the provision of owner-occ upation with negative consequences for other forms of tenure. Partly d ue to this neglect, there are relatively few studies which have examin ed the dynamics of the rental sector in spite of the fact that increas ing numbers of urban residents are renting, either through choice or d ue to constraints. This paper seeks to contribute to the literature on renting and will examine the organisation and the performance of a lo w income rental market in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. It w ill start by looking at the urban demand for housing and the manner in which the state has responded to this demand. The paper will then go on to specifically examine the workings of the private rental market. It will conclude by looking at the prospects of rental housing in view of recent changes which have sought to create a free housing market. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.