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Report: Renters Feeling Forced to Relocate Outside of Eviction
Note: this article is updated from its original publication date.
Renter households relocate for a variety of reasons. Such moves can be for jobs or because of the need for more (or less) space. Citing U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data, the Urban Institute noted that nearly half of renter households reported feeling pressure to move from their current location within the past six months. The Urban Institute article noted that previous measures of housing instability came from local eviction filings, but these data shed new light on renters who feel pressured to move outside of the formal eviction process.
Of those who felt pressured to move:
- 56% indicated that rental increases were the cause
- 30% said their landlords didn’t make repairs
Eviction threats were cited less often as reasons for relocation, at 9%. Also not mentioned as frequently was having the locks changed, possessions removed, or utilities turned off (1%). But when those pressures did exist:
- 42% of renter households whose landlords threatened eviction left their homes
- 69% of renters whose landlords changed the locks or turned off utilities left their homes
The survey also reported that people of color are more likely to feel pressured to move. 48% of Latinx and Black renters felt pressure to leave, compared to 41% of white renter households. Black households cited increased rent, ignored repairs, missed rent payments and “other pressures” as their top reasons for feeling pressure to leave. Meanwhile, 59% of Latinx households feeling pressured to leave cited increasing rent as the cause.
“These data show the stark reality for most renters across the country,” said Kathryn Reynolds and Elizabeth Burton, who authored the report for the Urban Institute. “Very few regulations and laws protect them from destabilizing factors, and little financial assistance is available for renters who need it.” Even in areas where laws protecting tenant health and safety exist, some renters may be unaware of them or may not feel empowered to exercise their rights,” the authors said.
Note: due to data errors, the Urban Institute retracted the July 3, 2023 blog post on which this article was based and wrote a new analysis. According to an explanation, the original analysis didn’t remove nonrenter households from the calculations. The Urban Institute had calculated the initial percentages from Census Pulse tables, which were released before the Household Pulse Survey Public Use Files (PUFs). “Going forward, we have made the decision not to complete analysis with the Census Pulse tables and to instead wait for the PUF data release,” Urban Institute analysts said. They also said that the overall trend analysis still holds. “Far too many renters are feeling pressured to leave their homes,” the analysts commented.
- ◦Lease
- ◦People
- ◦Economy
- ◦Policy/Gov't
