Home is where the house is: homeownership and urban settlement intentions of rural migrants in China

China’s vast uneven development between rural and urban areas and the deregulation of population movements are associated with a large-scale rural-to-urban migration, some of whom buy houses in their destination cities. This study examines how owning a house affects the settlement intentions of rural migrants in their destination cities. Using data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), this study finds that rural migrants who live in their own houses are more likely to stay in host cities. In addition, both unrestricted ownership (property purchased from the market that is free to trade) and restricted ownership (property with small property ownership or welfare housing ownership that is legally restricted from trading) promote urban settlement intentions to a similar magnitude. Furthermore, homeownership, either unrestricted or restricted ownership, has a strong and positive effect on the permanent settlement intentions of rural migrants, while its effect on temporary settlement intentions is non-significant. These findings underscore the non-wealth benefits associated with homeownership for rural migrants and highlight the necessity of providing housing support through multiple channels to enable rural migrants to stay and live in destination cities permanently.