Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-7-2020

Abstract

Evictions cause substantial harm to lower-income families. The effects range from homelessness to job loss, school turnover, and deteriorating health. Previously evicted tenants can be pushed down-market and forced to accept substandard housing. Housing subsidy might be expected to reduce eviction rates and provide greater stability. However, little systematic research has examined the eviction rates of subsidized, affordable rental properties and compared them to nonsubsidized, market-rate properties. We examine eviction filings for multifamily rental buildings in five-county metropolitan Atlanta, using a data set of eviction filings, property characteristics, and ownership information. We identify the subset of buildings that are subsidized and distinguish between senior and nonsenior properties. We find that senior, subsidized multifamily properties have substantially lower eviction rates than market-rate properties. A senior-subsidized multifamily rental building is expected to have an annual eviction rate that is 10.7 percentage points below a nonsenior, market-rate property; this result is significant p < 0.01, and compares to a mean eviction filing rate of 16.3 percent (16.3 evictions per 100 rental units). On the other hand, a nonsenior-subsidized building is expected to have an eviction rate that is 1.4 percentage points lower than a nonsenior, market-rate building; this result is not statistically significant. It is important to note that we do not have data on the economic characteristics of tenants, and that may account for some of the relatively high eviction rates of the nonsenior-affordable properties. We discuss implications of these findings for further research and housing policy and practice.

Comments

Author accepted manuscript version of an article published in: Harrison, Austin, Dan Immergluck, Jeff Ernsthausen, and Stephanie Earl. “Housing Stability, Evictions, and Subsidized Rental Properties: Evidence From Metro Atlanta, Georgia.” Housing Policy Debate 0, no. 0 (September 7, 2020): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2020.1798487.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2020.1798487

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