In EU countries an assistance in meeting citizens’ housing needs has been an important task carried out by the local government for decades. Most typically the municipal housing stock was the basis in the allocation of housing to those recognized as entitled to the aid. Many reforms have been provided to modify applied solutions, they have had form of new rules for the privatization of both public stock and its management, new application of used measures and new solutions. There is a need of a comparison of instruments in use and consequences of their application among EU countries. The author is particularly interested in the differences and similarities between reforms and their consequences in the countries of the "old EU" and the post-socialist countries. It appears that not only the economic issues have an importance for results of reforms, but also the social perception and assessments of reforms.