The Monopoly board game has a maximum of 32 houses in the bank.
The limited supply is part of the game's official equipment and creates a strategic shortage. Players use houses to improve streets in a color group, and the rules require buildings to be distributed evenly across that group. Because the bank contains only 32 houses, players may sometimes be unable to build even when they have enough money.
The shortage can become especially important when several players own complete color groups. Holding houses can delay opponents' development, and in some games all 32 houses are placed before anyone can buy a hotel. This situation is often called a housing shortage.
The classic set also contains 12 hotels. When a player exchanges four houses on a property for a hotel, the houses return to the bank, but a player cannot freely substitute hotels for unavailable houses. Editions can use different components, but 32 houses and 12 hotels are the standard classic quantities.