Large institutional investors are changing the realities of the U.S. rental housing market, but a lack of information makes it hard for cities to respond.
“Understanding who owns rental units is a first step toward ensuring a supply of affordable, quality rental stock—and to supporting landlords—but very little data on rental property ownership exist,” according to an article by Fay Walker and Eleanor Noble for the Urban Institute.
Walker and Noble help fill the gap, however, using publicly available data to examine rental property ownership and analyze ownership patterns in Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia to produce several key findings: small landlords own a shrinking share of the rental units in these cities, large institutional ownership makes it harder to discern who owns rental units, and more research is necessary to generate solutions that will benefit renters and landlords.
The last point is really the key call to action of this article: “As the landscape of landlords changes in cities nationwide, it will be increasingly important for municipalities to understand what tools they have to support small landlords and, by extension, their tenants.”
A lot more data on the housing markets of these three cities and the larger United States are included in the source article below.
FULL STORY: Ensuring Safe and Affordable Housing Stock Starts with Understanding Who Owns Rental Units
U.S. Rental Market Crosses a New Threshold of Affordability
In a first for the country's rental market, most U.S. apartments are asking for more than $2,000 to rent, according to data recently published by Redfin.
Miami Housing More Expensive Than New York City, Report Says
New data shows stratospheric housing costs in cities not named New York.
Condos Racking Up Equity Faster Than Single-Family Homes in Austin
Condo value in Austin rose 28% between December 2020 and December 2021, according to a recent report.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service