The issue (elsewhere than the UK) is that regulations have also made building so expensive that it's actually not worth it. People cannot pay for new houses, ev

The issue (elsewhere than the UK) is that regulations have also made building so expensive that it's actually not worth it. People cannot pay for new houses, even on very cheap land. I don't even understand how it's supposed to work, by the current building standards in .be I'd say about 80% of all houses (mostly older ones) would be torn down if we follow the letter of the law. And a lot of those building standards (e.g. electrical safety, piping safety) apply to existing housing, not just to newly built ones. Social housing used to be famous for the government simply not following building codes (whether that meant maximum land occupancy or isolation/material standards), and disclaimed responsibility when it lead to accidents. But it made a lot of people home owners.