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

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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