Private Rental Housing Research Articles

Incentivising small-scale investors to supply affordable private rental housing

Incentivising small-scale investors to supply affordable private rental housing

Housing tenure and acute lower respiratory tract infection admissions in two Scottish birth cohorts

Abstract Introduction Early-life acute lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) have been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Despite young children spending much of their time at home, the contribution of home ownership status, on LRTI hospital admissions is unknown. Objectives To estimate the association between housing tenure and the odds of LRTI hospitalization in children <2 years in two birth cohorts. Methods De-identified Scottish birth records were linked to maternal Census data (2001 and 2011) and to hospital admission data to construct two birth cohorts (Cohort 1 (C1), born 2000-2002; Cohort 2 (C2), 2010-2012). Using logistic regression we estimated the association of housing tenure (owned, social rented, private rented, rent-free) with the odds of LRTI hospital admission, before and after adjustment for maternal age, residential area, and maternal qualification level. Results Over the 2-year follow-up, there were 14,833 LRTI admissions in 12,527 children (10,832 children had 1 LRTI admission and 1,695 >1 LRTI admission). 75.6 % of all LRTI admissions were due to bronchiolitis. In C1 and C2, 4.0% and 5.3% children, respectively, had one or more LRTI admission. Compared to children living in owned housing, the odds of LRTI admission were higher in children living in social rented housing (C1: Odds ratio=1.40, 95% confidence interval: 1.31-1.49; C2: 1.23, 1.16-1.31), private rented (C1:1.24, 1.11,1.39; C2: 1.14, 1.06-1.21), and rent-free housing (C1: 1.53, 1.35,1.74; C2: 1.04, 0.80-1.36) after confounder adjustment. Conclusions We found an association between non-owned housing and higher odds of LRTI admission which was more marked in C1 than in C2. Further research is warranted to unpick the mechanisms underlying the association between housing tenure and LRTI admission. Interventions to prevent LRTI admissions could usefully target children living in non-owned housing. Key messages • This study demonstrates the value of administrative and health data linkage in improving our understanding of how socio-environmental factors might impact children’s respiratory health. • Children living in social and private rented housing (compared to owned housing) have a higher risk of LRTI hospital admission and could benefit the most from LRTI-lowering interventions.

Making rent: how forced migrant families access private rental housing in the Biqa’ Valley, Lebanon

The private rental market is a key provider of housing to forced migrants. This paper examines qualitative data from case study research in rapidly urbanizing towns in the Biqa’ Valley, Lebanon, focusing on Syrian forced migrants’ efforts to access housing through the local private rental sector. Building on literature about landlord–tenant relations and anthropological work on kin, I argue that rental agreements ought to be understood as both financial and social arrangements, which involve family members, landlords and middlemen ( shaweesh) in complex rental ecologies. I find that young Syrians are caught up in evolving financial and social obligations, which make inhabitation possible, but which perpetuate gendered and xenophobic forms of dispossession. I argue that humanitarian and development actors advocating for the right of forced migrants to settle in urban areas ought to avoid perpetuating reliance on an inequitable private rental sector.

The social vibe of the tenant/landlord relationship in a ‘tenant market’: the case of Romania

There has recently been a burgeoning interest in private rental housing, yet few studies have addressed the tenant/landlord relationship as lived. This paper contributes related insights from the ‘young’ markets of Eastern Europe where the tenant/landlord relationship is entirely market based but embedded in specific cultural norms and supply/demand balances. Drawing on cultural theories of risk and rich qualitative data from tenants and landlords in Romania, this paper examines narratives of risk and repertoires of risk mitigation practices of the relational risks of renting. Findings portray a supply-rich market where tenants have market power hence financial checks on tenants are socially unacceptable, evictions are rare, and most tenants feel at home in their rented properties. In this tenant market, landlords rely on the social vibe of the first tenant/landlord encounter, showing openness to construct win-win collaborations. These less institutionalised practices seem more inclusive to tenants’ economic unpredictability but high rents push the poor, and ethnic stigmatisation drives the Roma ‘others’ into alternative housing.

‘Generation Share’ versus ‘Generation Rent’: Analysing the spatial preferences of shared rental housing

A growing number of young adults are choosing to live in private rental housing and sharing with unknown individuals in order to reduce their housing expenses. However, young housing sharers are generally treated as homogeneous to other renters in academic research and policy formation, leaving some of their unique housing issues unaddressed. This study examines how young housing sharers differ from their counterparts living in conventional or unshared rental housing. More specifically, we compare the spatial preferences of housing sharers to the spatial preferences of conventional housing renters, using a unique dataset of over 0.8 million private rental housing records collected in Shanghai, China. The results using a revealed-preference approach based on a hedonic pricing model demonstrate significant differences in their preference for location characteristics. Housing sharers are more willing to pay for proximity to employment centres and metro stations than conventional housing renters. Following the outbreak of Covid-19, the difference has narrowed to some extent, and housing sharers have moved further from employment centres. Rather, housing sharers are less concerned about access to public and private service amenities. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the recent housing tenure shift toward sharing among the younger generation and its potential impact on age-related segmentation in the housing market.

Determinants of food insecurity among adults residing in peri-urban municipal settings in Flanders, Belgium

Food insecurity is a global public health issue associated with noncommunicable diseases. Individual factors are strongly associated with food insecurity, but there is limited literature on the broader impact of both the social and food environments on food insecurity in non-English speaking European countries, given that the research was predominantly conducted in Anglophone settings. In addition, these studies have mostly been conducted in urban areas. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the main determinants of food insecurity among adults living in peri-urban areas in Flanders, Belgium. Data on socio-demographics, neighborhood social cohesion, social isolation, and perceived food environments were collected from 567 adults through a self-administered questionnaire, and objective data on the food environment were obtained through (commercial) databases on food outlets. Food insecurity was measured using the USDA Household Food Security Survey Module. Multivariable logistic regression models revealed that lower socioeconomic status (OR14.11,95%CI:4.72;61.11), reasonable (OR4.16,95%CI: 2.11;8.47) to poor and very poor (OR6.54,95%CI: 2.11;8.47) subjective health status, and living in private (OR7.01, 95% CI:3.0;17.0) or government-assisted (OR6.32,95%CI: 3.13;13.26) rental housing significantly increased the odds of food insecurity. Additionally, residing in a neighborhood with low (OR2.64, 95% CI:1.13;6.26) to medium (OR2.45,95% CI:1.21;5.11) social cohesion, having a neutral opinion (OR4.12,95%CI:1.51;11.54) about the availability of fruit and vegetables in one's neighborhood, and having an opinion that fruit and vegetable prices are too expensive (OR5.43,95% CI 2.26;14.4) significantly increased the odds of experiencing food insecurity. This study underscores the need for policies that consider factors related to social and food environments, in addition to individual factors, to effectively address food insecurity.

Private rental housing market in Ethiopia: Aspirations and challenges

The private rental accommodation is a significant contributor to urban housing supply and is densely populated. Despite its prevalence, it has not received much attention in academic discussions. The rental housing market is like a double-edged sword, with both positive and negative aspects. Researchers have identified it as a problematic housing type that requires further investigation and intervention. A mixed research approach was employed to collect qualitative and quantitative data from 384 samples to understand the rental housing market better. The study found that the regulatory and interactional aspects of the private rental housing market have contributed to its problematic features. Although the market positively impacts housing shortages, private rental a source of unsuitable accommodation. To address these issues, the authors recommend regulatory and interactional dimensions of the private rental housing market be addressed through formal intervention and legislation.

‘No Pet’ Covenants and the Law: A Harm Assessment Approach to Regulating Companion Animals in Rental Housing Across the World

AbstractThe covid-19 pandemic, and in particular, the rise in pet ownership, the greater focus on home-life during lockdowns and the normalisation of hybrid-working conditions post-pandemic, has shed light on an under-researched area of law that affects millions of people across the world: the use of ‘no pet’ covenants in private rental housing. This article identifies the prevalence of ‘no pet’ covenants as a socio-legal problem that is of global significance. It assesses the legal regulation of pets in private rental housing through a Harm Assessment approach that has global application. A Harm Assessment approach balances harms to various stakeholders in both the use and restriction of ‘no pet’ covenants. In countries that have no legal regulation of pets in housing it can be used to assess the need for legislation. This approach considers the character, magnitude and likelihood of the harm, something which has had little consideration to date. Drawing, by analogy, on the work of Feinberg and his analysis of harm within the context of the legitimacy of state interference with individual liberty, this article adapts his theory of harm to assess the need for legal regulation of pets in rental housing. The legitimacy of a Harm Assessment approach is supported by the existing literature on ‘no pet’ covenants, from which the dominant theme of harm emerges. Identifying and weighting the types of harm to be balanced varies depending on cultural, religious and geographic considerations and further research is needed to better understand the harms in different countries.

Subjectification as an ideal tenant. Competing for housing in the Viennese private rental market

Despite its reputation as a ‘paradise for renters,’ housing seekers in Vienna also face increasing difficulties in finding affordable housing, especially in the private rental housing market. We examine how competitive housing search, application, and allocation shape the subjectivities of housing seekers. Drawing on interviews with landlords, real estate agents and housing seekers in the Viennese private rental market, we analyse the suggestions of subjectivity housing seekers face and how they appropriate—enact, negotiate, or contest—these subjectivities. The study shows that housing seekers must sense and enact an ideal tenant to increase their chances of successfully accessing housing. The various modes of subjectification clustered around this image of the ideal tenant—being solvent, caring for the apartment, not being a foreigner, and invoking a good ‘gut feeling’—show that increased competition not only makes access to affordable housing more difficult, but also has normative effects.

COVID-19 and aggravated housing precarity for international students: an Australian case study

Housing experience of international students has attracted increasing academic attention in recent years. Australia’s large international student population is largely reliant on lightly-regulated private rental housing, a market sector subject to extreme turbulence during COVID-19. However, while aspects of Australian student housing stress during the pandemic have been already investigated, the specific issues affecting a substantial component of the broader cohort have yet to be examined. Around 130,000 Australian international students were stranded overseas for two years (2020-22) by international border closures. Their experiences cast new light on vulnerable renter precarity in lightly-regulated markets. Via an online survey and in-depth interviews, this paper examines the challenges posed for stranded international students in terms of their Australian tenancies, and how these were handled. Three main findings emerge: 1) uncertainty deriving from travel restrictions reduced student bargaining power in the rental market; 2) inability to terminate leases, unfavourable rent negotiation outcomes and welfare exclusion caused serious financial stress; and 3) widespread subletting exposed students to eviction and exploitation. These findings foreground important downsides of Australia’s long-existing neoliberal university regime and inadequate student housing provision that endanger the fundamental purposes of higher education, and risk tarnishing Australia’s reputation as an international student destination.

가업상속공제와 공동주택관리업 적용에 관한 연구

In order to support the stable life of the heirs and their families even after the death of the decedent, the Inheritance Tax and Gift Tax Act provides for deductions of a certain amount of money in consideration of the personal situation of the heirs and the material situation of the inherited property, and stipulates the family business inheritance deduction system.
 Accordingly, the Korea Housing Management Association announced that 2023. 9. Through an inquiry to the competent authority, the condominium management business was inquired whether the condominium management business is eligible for the deduction of the family business inheritance company, and the competent authority replied that the condominium management business is not a company eligible for the deduction of the family business inheritance business.
 However, it is necessary to re-examine whether the condominium management business is included in the family business inheritance deduction related to Article 15, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Inheritance Tax and Gift Tax Act.
 First, since the Special Act on the Safety and Maintenance of Facilities defines apartment houses as buildings and classifies them as facilities, it should be interpreted to include the business facility management and business resource service businesses among the business facility management and business resource service businesses that are subject to the family business inheritance deduction according to the Korean Standard Industrial Classification for small and medium-sized enterprises eligible for family business inheritance deduction.
 Second, the same article [Annex] of the same Act defines the types of business under the provisions of individual laws and includes the housing rental management business under the “Special Act on Private Rental Housing”, but the Private Rental Housing Act applies to matters not stipulated in this Act with respect to the construction, supply and management of housing, etc., and thus applies to the “Housing Act”, “Building Act”, “Apartment Housing Management Act”, and “Housing Lease Protection Act”.
 In the same way that the housing rental management business under the Special Act on Private Rental Housing is defined as a company subject to the family business inheritance deduction under the individual law, the condominium management business under the Apartment Housing Management Act, which has the same content, should be included as a company subject to the family business inheritance deduction under the individual law.

주택임대차 시장 상생방안

In South Korea, the domestic housing supply rate has already exceeded 100% since 2008, but the home ownership rate in 2021 still remains at 57.3%. In response to large-scale Chonse fraud, the government has come up with various solutions, but there is criticism that it is insufficient for a fundamental solution. This paper aims to derive a win-win plan between landlords and tenants in the rental market through legal and institutional improvement.
 First, it is necessary to partially restrict private landlords from freely choosing whether to register as rental businesses. Through this, it is possible to prevent a rental business operator who meets the requirements for rejection of the registration application under Article 7 (7) of the Special Act on Private Rental Housing from entering the rental market. In addition, the tenant's right to claim the return of the deposit can be substantially secured by requiring additional asset requirements for rental businesses of a certain size or larger. Although the lease system has positive factors such as a role as a residential stepping stone and a reduction in housing costs, it basically grants the right to freely dispose of a large amount during the lease period, while the legal protection for its return is insufficient. There have been various legal and institutional efforts to compensate for this, but tenants are still not sufficiently protected. The old customary Chonse was incorporated into Article 303 et seq.(Right to registered lease on a deposit basis) of the Korean Civil Code, but Chonsegwon is rarely used in practice. In terms of the protection of tenants, it is reasonable not to allow Chonse Lease. In reality, it is also possible to consider forcing the registration of leaseholds that are paid a certain amount or more of rental deposits. It is necessary to correct the practice that rental deposits are received much more than collateral purposes. Article 551 (1) of the German Civil Code restricts rental deposits not to exceed three times the rent for one month. It may also be considered to force leaseholds that are paid a certain amount or more of rental deposits to be registered.

Corporate landlords and disruption through consolidation in post-crash Dublin’s private rental sector

The growing literature on housing financialisation and particularly the financialisation of private rental sector residential housing offers nuanced analysis of how international financial actors increasingly shape housing markets and systems across the globe. Drawing inspiration from Maalsen’s (2022) work on the hack, this paper suggests that corporate landlord investment in the private rental sector can be understood as a process of disruptive consolidation. Disruptive consolidation is introduced as a useful conceptual lens for connecting a) the disrupted urban contexts which institutional investors target for speculation, b) the practices of consolidation that institutional investors pursue in establishing their portfolios as corporate landlords, and c) the ensuing disruptive impacts for housing policy, urban space, and tenants’ lives. While post-crash housing financialisation and the disruption of the private rental sector are often connected to the application of digital technologies to screen, surveille, and assetise tenants, I suggest that the digital/material dynamics of housing financialisation also afford ambivalent opportunities for both research and resistance. The paper applies a combination of desktop-based digital research methods to document how private rental sector consolidation has unfolded in Dublin and the role that the state has played in setting this dynamic in motion. I make use of digital research methods as a tactical appropriation of digital technologies to show how post-crash Dublin is an emblematic example of disruption through consolidation, demonstrating how this framework can be applied to connect urban and political economy approaches to housing and its financialisation. I conclude by briefly signposting how disruptive consolidation raises pressing questions for housing policy in Dublin and elsewhere.

A Study on the Influencing Factors of Residential Environment Satisfaction between Private and Public Rental Housing in Chungcheongnam-do

A Study on the Influencing Factors of Residential Environment Satisfaction between Private and Public Rental Housing in Chungcheongnam-do

Landlordism, social relations and built-form in informal private rental housing markets in India

Landlordism, social relations and built-form in informal private rental housing markets in India

Perceptions of housing stability and fertility intentions among public housing renters in Guangzhou, China

In the context of declining fertility rates and worsening housing affordability for low-and moderate-income families, many scholars have paid closer attention to the effect of housing on the fertility preferences of vulnerable groups. However, existing studies on the association between housing and fertility are rooted in the private rental or buying housing market. The existing literature on the link between public rental housing sectors and fertility intentions has been surprisingly silent. Furthermore, despite the fact that previous studies have investigated how housing outcomes (housing conditions and housing tenure) reshape fertility intentions, to date, how fertility intentions are influenced by perceptions of housing situations is rarely examined, particularly perceptions of housing stability. More importantly, most previous literature estimating the effects of housing on fertility intentions has ignored the endogeneity issue between housing and fertility intentions, which may result in a biased estimate. Using 2022 public rental housing survey data in Guangzhou, we employ the instrumental variable approach to address the potential endogeneity issue of our equations and investigate whether perceptions of housing stability can encourage fertility intentions of public housing renters. The findings reveal that self-reported perceptions of housing stability are positively and significantly associated with the fertility intentions of public housing renters. Moreover, the housing stability effect is larger for the male and unmarried cohorts. These findings warrant policy consideration as to how public rental housing increases a sense of housing stability for tenants, thereby protecting and supporting their fundamental fertility rights.

An examination of the growth of Airbnb in New Zealand and its impact on the private rental housing market: 2016–2021

AbstractAirbnb is an online platform connecting private hosts with visitors looking for short‐term accommodation. The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of Airbnb on long‐term rental housing availability and cost in Aotearoa New Zealand before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Regional growth patterns in Airbnb properties were measured and their impact on the private rental market investigated. An increasing proportion of new rental housing was offered through Airbnb over the study period, particularly in popular tourist locations. Increasing occupancy rates pre‐pandemic suggest that there remains room for growth, putting further pressure on the private rental housing stock.

Influences on the Housing Satisfaction of Middle-Aged Households Reflected in the Korea Housing Survey 2021

In research on housing welfare policy, there has been little interest in middle-aged households compared with young or elderly households. The purpose of this study was to explore influences on the housing satisfaction of middle-aged renter households using microdata from the Korea Housing Survey 2021. A statistical analysis of data was performed on a total of 2,709,152 middle-aged (aged between 40 and 64 years) Jeonse (lump-sum housing lease) renters and monthly renters with deposits, living in private rental housing units. The major findings were as follows. Firstly, there were significant differences in housing unit satisfaction and residential environment satisfaction among renter groups by age and rental type. Early-middle-aged Jeonse renters displayed the highest satisfaction with both housing units and the residential environment, while semi-elderly monthly renters with deposits displayed the lowest satisfaction. Secondly, living in aged structures or in apartment units exerted the strongest influences on housing satisfaction, which implies the need for residential area regeneration programs that consider the situation of rental households. Thirdly, living in Incheon and Gyeonggi-do was found to have a negative influence on housing satisfaction. Fourthly, upward filtering on tenure types or lease renewal of the current house did not necessarily have a positive influence on the housing satisfaction of middle-aged renters. Based on the findings, suggestions were made to improve the housing situation of middle-aged renter households.

Discrimination in the private rental market in Australia: large families from refugee backgrounds

Securing appropriate housing is a crucial component of resettlement for people with refugee experience, but many face challenges in securing private rental housing, including discrimination, particularly for large families. This paper explores refugee and asylum seeker experiences of discrimination in the private rental market through in-depth semi-structured interviews with refugees and asylum seekers from large families (N = 22), service providers (N = 18), community leaders (N = 4), real estate agents (N = 11) and lessors (N = 10). Interviews were thematically analysed. The analysis identified the pervasive nature of discriminatory practices in private rental housing affecting large refugee and asylum-seeking families, though it was not always recognised as discrimination. Market factors and risk assessments were highlighted as contributing to discrimination and how agents’ and lessors’ working definition of discrimination manifested in their tenant selection practices. While service providers and some agents sought to counter discriminatory practices, the significant impact of discriminatory housing practices for refugees and asylum seekers was evident and poses important policy and practice questions.

Relationship between market share and rent level: understanding supply structure in the Japanese private rental housing market

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between market share and rent levels to understand the supply structure in the Japanese private rental housing market. Design/methodology/approach The study calculates the municipal-level market share of a dominant rental housing operator in Japan and ascertained the overall market rent and the dominant operator’s rent premium at the municipal level by using a major web portal’s listing data of rental houses. Findings The study shows that, as market share increased, overall market rent tends to decrease, and analyzed by market share, there is no significant difference between the rent of the dominant operator and the overall market rent. Practical implications The results of the study suggest that dominant operators may have lowered the rent of their own property to prioritize filling vacancies, which, in turn, causes the overall level of market rent to decline. This is an outcome of rental housing operators’ strategy to maximize long-term rental income under sublease contracts with individual owners, which ensures stable rental income for owners regardless of the occupation status of the apartments. Originality/value Previous research on regional monopolies in mortgage sales and brokerage businesses in the USA implies that rental housing operators in a position of great influence over the market can control and keep the market rents at high levels, that is, at large costs for consumers. The findings of the study are novel in showing the inverse relationship in the Japanese private rental market.