When did the housing market begin. When did companies begin mass building and selling and the general public go from building their own to buying and renting property ?
Was it a sudden movement because of the industrial revolution and people needing to love for work ?
Your question is actually in 2 parts, so I will so answer it. 1 When did the companies start building large projects for sale or rent? Originally, in England, it started in the 18th century. Projects were run by rich individuals or partnerships, not corporations. Many of these projects still exist. Before than, in ancient Rome, there was also a a brisk real estate and rental market, as Pompeii real estate ads show. Projects in Rome itself were occasionally very large (for example, after the demolition of Nero's Golden House).
2 As opposed to each building their own? Large proportion of the city populations have always been renters. Even in the middle ages, there were purpose built rental properties and commercial rental properties. Just not very large projects. Rental markets always existed, even in the country (farm leases).