The effect of foreign investors on local housing markets: evidence from the UK

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic Geography
Year: 2025
Volume: 25
Issue: 3
Pages: 329-349

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

I use administrative data on properties owned by overseas companies to study the effect of foreign investment on house prices, affordability, construction, and vacant properties in England and Wales. To address endogeneity, I construct an instrument for foreign investment based on political conditions abroad. I find that foreign investment increases house prices. This effect is stronger for more expensive homes but is present at all points of the distribution. Foreign investment reduces affordability and the number of vacant dwellings but has no effect on construction. There is no evidence of heterogenous effects across areas with different housing supply elasticities, since construction is unresponsive even in high-elasticity areas.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:jecgeo:v:25:y:2025:i:3:p:329-349.
Journal Field
Urban
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29