Hyper-commodified housing products as responses to young workers' demand for housing in Luxembourg

In the housing crisis context, real estate actors have developed flexible products branded as experiential and transitional living solutions for young mobile workers. These emerging housing forms—referred to as ‘hyper-commodified housing products’ (HCHPs)—result from the institutionalisation and professionalisation of short-term and shared housing arrangements using digitised management. HCHPs mainly target young workers hired by international firms and attractive to local states. However, these new housing forms have been associated with growing housing prices and exclusive tenant selection processes, which may fuel housing exclusion, contribute to decreasing access to homeownership and jeopardise social cohesion. In Luxembourg, HCHPs have yet been appealing to the real estate sector and public authorities. This conceptual paper defines and situates the HCHP umbrella concept, which covers co-living and short-term rentals in the buy-to-let sector, and purpose-built student accommodation and high-density shared housing in the build-to-rent sector. This concept takes part in a broader transversal, comprehensive and multi-faceted approach to understanding how HCHPs both result from and contribute to a triple crisis—very prominent in Luxembourg—of attractiveness for the state, supply for the market, and affordability and accessibility for tenants. I will discuss the perspective of young tenants as a key target demographic navigating flexible (exclusionary) tenures.