Rental Housing Research Articles

Living on the Edge: The Precariat Amid the Rental Crisis in the Metropolitan Area of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain)

This study examines access to rental housing in the metropolitan area of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, linking it to socio-economic inequalities and the increasing precarization. In recent years, housing affordability has worsened due to rising rents, stagnant wages, and speculative dynamics—particularly those linked to tourism and platform-based economies. Drawing on official data from the State Reference System for Rental Housing Prices (SERPAVI) and income statistics at the census tract level, this research quantifies housing affordability and spatial disparities through indicators such as economic effort rates. The analysis identifies patterns of exclusion and urban fragmentation, showing that large sectors of the population—especially those earning the minimum age—face severe barriers to accessing adequate housing. The findings highlight the insufficiency of current public policies and propose the expansion of social rental housing and stricter rental market regulation as necessary steps to ensure fairer urban conditions.

Investigating the differences in influencing factors on burglaries in migrant communities, local communities, and mixed communities: a case study of ZG City

Burglaries have detrimental effects on urban residents’ life quality and property safety. Prior research has overlooked the heterogeneity of factors influencing the spatial distribution of burglaries across different types of urban communities. To fill this gap, this study makes an in-depth investigation by taking ZG City, a coastal city in southeast China, as an example and differentiating communities as Local Communities (LCs), Migrant Communities (MGCs), and Mixed Communities (MXCs) based on the proportion of migrant population in a community. The results show that the spatial distribution of burglaries in ZG City is affected by factors including the presence of potential perpetrators, social and built environment, and housing types and numbers. In MGCs, indicators of housing types have no significant impact on burglaries. In LCs, Internet bars, bus stops, and rental housing ratio are strong predictors of burglaries, while formerly public housing and housing with high rent significantly reduce burglaries. Notably, the influences of these factors vary due to the variation in the social and physical environment of communities. There are distinct demographic characteristics and built environment features among different communities, leading to varying levels of informal social control and anonymity, which in turn influence the occurrence of burglaries. This study informs context-specific strategies to prevent and control burglaries and for directions of urban renewal.

Split-incentives in energy efficiency investments? Evidence from rental housing

Split-incentives in energy efficiency investments? Evidence from rental housing

Localized policy design for clean heating transitions: a multi-city analysis of renter preferences for energy efficiency

IntroductionThe transition to clean heating systems in rental housing is crucial for achieving net-zero emissions goals, yet current policy frameworks lack systematic understanding of how renter preferences vary across different market contexts. While existing research acknowledges split incentive barriers between landlords and tenants, analysis of their manifestation across diverse demographic groups and market conditions remains notably absent.MethodsThis study employs latent class analysis of discrete choice experiment data from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy to identify distinct renter segments and their responses to energy-efficient rental options. Our study combines demographic analysis with market valuation techniques to examine how renter segments distribute across three diverse metropolitan areas—San Diego, Houston, and Durham.ResultsThe analysis identifies six differentiated renter classes, characterized by systematic variation in demographic factors, housing preferences, and economic indicators. We find that while initial return multipliers exhibit significant sensitivity to assumptions about rent and energy cost differentials, the financial burden for energy-inefficient rentals is considerably larger than the premium one might pay for efficient rentals (presenting a penalty-to-premium of 1.35–1.42). The proportion of housing costs captured by landlords versus utilities varies significantly by market, increasing from 78.4% to 87.1% in San Diego, 74.9%–89.1% in Houston, and 88.5%–94.1% in Durham as properties move from poor to high efficiency, highlighting how regional characteristics shape the distribution of improvement costs between landlords and tenants.DiscussionThe study demonstrates how demographic composition systematically influences clean heating transition opportunities across rental markets, provides empirical evidence of geographic variation in renter segment distribution, and quantifies market-specific responses to efficiency improvements. These findings also underscore a market asymmetry that can impede extensive energy retrofits and enable policymakers to develop targeted approaches for accelerating clean heating adoption while maintaining affordability across diverse renter populations.

Evaluation of the Short-Term Rental Housing Market in Nigeria

Evaluation of the Short-Term Rental Housing Market in Nigeria

Research on the Financing of Affordable Talent Rental Housing Based on the REITs Model

This article through the domestic and foreign literature research in this field, related concepts and theoretical review, as well as the analysis of our country’s security talent rental housing and REITS development situation, discuss the prospect and development direction of our country’s security talent rental housing public REITs, and put forward suggestions.

Good jobs, good tenants? Understanding racial and gender discrimination in the housing market

Housing discrimination hinders labour mobility and economic equality. The level of housing discrimination has not been significantly reduced over recent decades, with notable issues in less diverse countries, especially former colonial powers. We studied London’s rental housing market, where ethnic minorities face barriers and housing is unaffordable. An analytical framework based on the taste-based and statistical discrimination theories were developed to investigate the nature of housing discrimination. Blue-collar and white-collar employment information was included in the correspondence test to differentiate between taste-based and statistical discrimination. Our findings indicate UK’s racial discrimination is primarily taste-based, and providing job information does not bridge the racial gap. Addressing this requires government and societal efforts, emphasizing inclusive urban policies that influence how individuals perceive and interact with different ethnicities.

A Rent Subsidy and Identity Capital Intervention for Youth Exiting Homelessness: Protocol for the Transitioning Youth Out of Homelessness 2.0 Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

For young people who have experienced homelessness, relative housing stability alone is insufficient to achieve socioeconomic inclusion. There is little peer-reviewed research investigating interventions targeting socioeconomic inclusion outcomes for youth who have experienced homelessness. Our previous community-engaged work signaled that identity capital (purpose, control, self-efficacy, and self-esteem) may mediate socioeconomic inclusion outcomes for youth exiting homelessness. This 12-month pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) explores whether portable rent subsidies and an intervention targeting identity capital hold promise as a way to facilitate socioeconomic inclusion for youth exiting homelessness and living in market rent housing in Ontario, Canada. The objectives of this study were (1) to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an RCT of targeted economic and identity-based supports to foster socioeconomic inclusion (primary objective), (2) to estimate the effect of adding identity-based supports to economic supports (intervention group) compared with economic supports alone (control group) at the 12-month end point with respect to self-reported proxy indicators of socioeconomic inclusion (secondary objective), and (3) to explore, among the intervention group, whether the estimated effect of the intervention differs by baseline variables or level of engagement with the intervention (exploratory objective). This study is a convergent mixed methods, 2-arm parallel RCT, open-label design with 1:1 allocation. All youth participants (n=40) received rent subsidies; half were randomly assigned an identity capital intervention (co-designed leadership guide+coach). The overall study was guided by community-based participatory action research axiology. The qualitative component used a qualitative descriptive design underpinned by critical social theory. The measures used were (1) recruitment, enrolment, and dropout metrics; self-report composite checklists regarding intervention engagement; coaching session attendance; and qualitative focus groups (primary measures); (2) education, employment, and training; housing security; and identity capital (secondary measures); and (3) impact of baseline variables (eg, participant demographics such as gender or mental health symptoms as measured by the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Short Screener) or level of engagement with intervention (coaching session attendance) on secondary measures (exploratory measures). Recruitment and enrolment began March 1, 2023, and ended June 19, 2023. Data collection began March 7, 2023, and ended June 17, 2024. Qualitative and quantitative data analyses concluded on August 20, 2024. Findings from this RCT will help inform the way we conceptualize the types of supports that are necessary to sustain successful exits from homelessness. The intervention was co-designed with youth who have experienced homelessness, and their voices will continue to inform the next iteration of this work. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05781503; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05781503. DERR1-10.2196/66210.

Financialization, affordable housing and urban governance: a spatio-temporal analysis of four South African REITs

ABSTRACT Real estate investment trusts (REITs), spread from the United States since the 1960s, gathered momentum following the global financial crisis. In South Africa, REITs have operated since 2013, with only a few of the 27 REITS focused on residential investments. Although the four REITs with substantial residential portfolios, largely in “affordable housing”, meet a critical need in South Africa’s unequal housing landscape, it is crucial to examine the practices and effects of these apparently new actors. In conversation with a growing critical literature on the financialization of rental housing through REITS in cities around the world, we investigate how South African REITs with significant residential portfolios reflect the trends characterizing REITs globally but with contextual specificities. Our exploratory, spatio-temporally attuned analysis of these firms’ histories, ownership, performance and geographies reveals how South African affordable rental housing financialization is largely embedded within local capital markets with established local institutional investors and real estate actors that share longer histories of investment in affordable housing. These agents’ capacities and limits are critically shaped by national political-economic conditions, municipal service provision and historically produced built environments. Attention to such historical, place-based and multi-scalar relations are key in understanding REITs’ diverse trajectories across context.

What Would It Take to End Homelessness in the United States?

Ending homelessness in the United States has remained stubbornly out of reach. Despite hundreds of federal, state, and local plans to end homelessness, most have ended unsuccessfully—due to a range of issues, notably insufficient resources. Homelessness persists and, in many communities, has increased because of myriad intervening factors—many of which lie outside the control of the systems tasked with solving it. This paper summarizes the evidence for effective interventions that need to be replicated and scaled. In a nod to pragmatism, we present two paths based on two hypothetical policy environments. First, we offer the best evidence-based approaches that can be implemented and scaled within the existing federal policymaking environment. These efforts may require additional investments at the federal, state, or local level. In this first state, it will be difficult to end homelessness, but significant progress can be achieved. Second, we present an alternative state in which the federal government prioritizes greater investments, with the goal of addressing the structural housing drivers of the level of homelessness. In this environment, larger commitments to rental assistance, housing subsidies, and homelessness responses would create an environment in which fundamental progress in the fight against homelessness could be achieved.

Housing type and risk of depression – the mediating effects of perceived indoor annoyances and loneliness: a Danish cohort study, 2000–2018

BackgroundFew studies have found that housing types and tenure might be associated with decreased mental health. Therefore, the aim was to investigate the association between housing type and the development of incident depression. Furthermore, quantifying the mediated effects through perceived indoor annoyances and perceived loneliness for the association between housing type and depression.MethodsIn this cohort study, we followed 14,387 individuals. Data on depression, housing type, perceived indoor annoyances, perceived loneliness and several covariates were obtained from the Danish National Patient Register, the Danish National Prescription Registry, the Building and Housing Register, and the Danish Health and Morbidity Survey. The association between housing type and depression was estimated by using a generalised linear model with Poisson distribution of the number of incident depressions and a logarithmic transformation of risk time as offset. Causal mediation analysis estimated the total effect mediated by perceived indoor annoyances and perceived loneliness.ResultsIndividuals living in owned terrace houses, rented terrace houses, and rented apartments had a significantly higher incidence rate (IR) of depression compared to individuals in owner-occupied detached houses. Living in a rented apartment compared to owning a detached house was associated with an adjusted IRR for depression of 1.32 (95% CI 1.14, 1.53). Of this association, 11% could be attributed to perceived indoor annoyances and 8% to perceived loneliness. For individuals living in rented terrace houses compared to owner-occupied detached houses, perceived indoor annoyances mediated 6% of the association between housing type and depression.ConclusionIndividuals living in certain housing types had a significantly higher IR of depression compared to individuals in owner-occupied detached houses. Our findings suggest that some of the excessed depression incidents among individuals living in rented apartments and rented terrace houses compared to detached houses could be attributed to differences in the number of perceived indoor annoyances and perceived loneliness. However, future studies are needed to confirm the findings of the present study and address other pathways and possible causations.

The Collective Meaning of “Sense of Home”: Experiences from a Rental Housing Cooperative in Melbourne, Australia, and Choluteca, Honduras

ABSTRACT Cities worldwide are facing a “housing crisis” predominantly affecting low- and middle-income renters, leading to issues such as poor-quality living environments and eviction risks, which can result in homelessness and health problems. Sense of home is linked to physical and mental wellbeing; however, less is known about achieving it in collaborative housing contexts like housing cooperatives. This article uses Social Practices Theory to explore residents’ experiences of sense of home in rental housing cooperatives (RHC) through 15 in-depth interviews conducted in Melbourne, Australia, and Choluteca, Honduras. The study examines how RHC residents collectively construct personal homes (individual experience), social homes (community experience), and physical homes (built environment). Findings reveal that sense of home is fostered by residents’ autonomy, participation in collective and individual activities, and the ability to navigate challenges. This study extends the concept of sense of home by focusing on collaborative settings, contrasting with individual and market-driven housing.

Political Uncertainty in the Behavior of Rental Housing Prices in Spain. Time Trends and Persistence Analysis

Over time, Spain has implemented various legislative measures to address the imbalance between homeownership and rental housing in a real estate market closely linked to the country's economic conditions. Changes in governance have introduced different regulatory approaches that may have influenced rental prices. This study examines the relationship between political uncertainty and rental housing prices in Spain from 1997 to 2024, using fractional integration, fractional cointegration, and wavelet analysis. The results indicate that exogenous shocks, such as uncertainty, temporarily affect rental prices. Additionally, a one-point increase in the Economic Policy Uncertainty index correlates with a 16.4-point rise in rental prices.

Gradient Boosting Decision Tree for House Price Prediction with Google Trends

Predicting house price accurately can reflect the popularity of the housing market and help making decisions for investors and policymakers. Statistics of macro factors are commonly used for house price forecasting; however, macro factors obtained from government reports have defect of time lag and may impair the prediction performance. Google Trends data can serve as a leading sentiment indicator of people’s attitudes and expectations toward the housing market and help improve house price prediction. Therefore, this study proposes a new methodology framework for house price prediction with Google Trends data. Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE), a feature selection method, is utilized to remove noisy data and improve feature quality. Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) is adopted to establish models for house price forecasting. Real estate-related Google Trends data, along with the fundamental house price index (HPI) data are collected to predict the growth rate of HPI in the United States. Results show that RFE can effectively remove irrelevant features and improve the model performance. GBDT has higher and more stable prediction accuracy than other prediction models, especially when the predicted time span is long. Compared with models including fundamental HPI data only, models containing Google Trends data can exhibit higher and more stable prediction accuracy for long time span forecasting. Three categories of Google Trends indices, including “house rent”, “housing market & real estate market”, and “mortgage & real estate agency” are found to be the most important indicators of the variation of HPI growth rate.

When land is not enough: Drawing in private investment to increase social rental housing in Spain

When land is not enough: Drawing in private investment to increase social rental housing in Spain

Rent Control and Tenure Duration in Ethiopia: Reflections on the New Residential Housing Rent Control and Administration Law

This article examines rent control and tenure duration in Ethiopia, focusing on the Residential Housing Rent Control and Administration Proclamation No. 1320/2024 through a review of laws and the literature. The different regimes in Ethiopia have been regulating residential housing rent and tenure. Proclamation No. 1320/2024, enacted in April 2024, extends previous legal practices in Addis Ababa and other major cities. The law has implications for modernizing the housing rent system and improving tax collection. However, the law adversely affects the property rights of house owners and the principle of freedom of contract. It may encourage informal rental agreements and unofficial payments and may contribute to a shortage in residential rental housing. The article argues for a reduced government role in regulating the residential housing sector and underscores the importance of respecting contractual freedom. It calls for improved land delivery for housing, the adoption of a standardized, expert-driven valuation system, and further digitization of the sector.

Application of ABS Financing Model in the Construction of Public Rental Housing in China

Housing is a fundamental issue affecting residents' lives. With the rapid acceleration of urbanization, low- and middle-income families in urban areas face significant housing pressure. The construction of public rental housing (PRH) aims to provide affordable housing below market prices for groups whose income exceeds the threshold for low-rent housing but who cannot afford to purchase commercial housing or economically affordable housing. However, relying solely on government fiscal investment to fund affordable housing not only leads to an unreasonable allocation of national finances but also hinders the sustainable development and construction of PRH. By introducing market mechanisms into the affordable housing system and utilizing the ABS (Asset-Backed Securities) financing model for PRH construction, a solid foundation is established for the sustainable development of this type of affordable housing. This paper examines the current status and challenges of PRH construction, analyzing the contradiction between high demand and insufficient supply, as well as the sources of funding for PRH. Furthermore, it explores the ABS financing model, its feasibility, and its advantages in PRH development. Through a case study of the Yueyanglou District Gulin Community Railway Block Urban Lowland Waterlogging Area Redevelopment Public Rental Housing Project in Yueyang City, this paper analyzes the application of ABS financing in PRH construction.

A Study on the Effectiveness of Private Stock Securitization in Public-Supported Private Rental Housing Development

A Study on the Effectiveness of Private Stock Securitization in Public-Supported Private Rental Housing Development

300 Social determinants of health among rural underserved patients with uncontrolled hypertension

Objectives/Goals: The growing burden of hypertension in the USA disproportionately impacts individuals with lower socioeconomic status and those in rural communities. This study aims to investigate specific social determinants of health associated with uncontrolled hypertension among rural, underserved patients residing in Alabama. Methods/Study Population: A retrospective review of electronic health records data from the UAB Selma Family Medicine clinic was conducted. The deidentified data were entered into the Population Health Assessment Engine (PHATE) to render social characteristics and community vital sign (CVS) scores, a social deprivation index, by census tracts. We provide descriptive statistics and compare the stated factors between patients with controlled and uncontrolled hypertension using logistic regression models. We are conducting phone surveys to gather individualized data on social determinants of health to assess the perceived social needs of patients with hypertension. The Protocol for Responding to & Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks & Experience tool was used to develop the survey, and survey responses will be compared with the PHATE results. Results/Anticipated Results: Among 2129 patients, 375 (17.6%) had uncontrolled hypertension with a mean age of 58.7 ± 14.4 years. Women comprised 66.7% (250) and 65.1% (1142) of the uncontrolled and controlled hypertension populations, respectively. The prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was 19.1% among Black patients and 8.2% in White patients. Patients with uncontrolled hypertension had a CVS of 82.37 ± 7.31 and 81.81 ± 8.40 patients with controlled hypertension. Patients with uncontrolled hypertension lived in areas where an average of 46 ± 11% were not employed, 36 ± 9% rented, and 28 ± 1% lived below the federal poverty line (FPL). Adjusting for age, race, and sex, a unit increase in the proportion of people below the FPL was associated with 43% higher odds of uncontrolled versus controlled hypertension (OR = 1.43, 95% CI 0.44, 4.64). Discussion/Significance of Impact: Rural, underserved patients with hypertension experience multiple adverse social determinants, such as nonemployment rates, low income, and rental housing. Survey results will allow us to compare assessed and individualized social determinants that may be important to address when caring for this population.

A racionalidade dos incorporadores do imobiliário popular: estudo de caso do mercado imobiliário de “kitnets” em Belém-PA

This article aims to outline the modus operandi of what is defined in this article as a developer of popular real estate, highlighting its performance in the informal rental housing market and having as its scope kitnet-type developments in the city of Belém, Pará. Part an approach that brings developers who work in the production of kitnets closer to the category of commercial real estate capital, in a way linked to concepts of popular economy. The methodology adopted in the article involved data collection in the field, through scraping property advertising websites and interviews with kitnet developers. The main results present a proposal to define the most common kitnet building typologies, as well as reports that seek to qualify the developer's rationality in the production of these properties.