By
A new national study
released by Avvo finds that that 70 percent of American renters believe
residential rental prices in their city are too high, but nevertheless feel
happy and even lucky to have their rental. A full 73 percent report feeling
satisfied with where they live, with 61 percent saying it’s hard to find a good
place to rent in their city.
Renters blame tech industry, landlords
for high costs
The survey of
residential renters across the country explored attitudes about high rent, bad
landlords, questionable neighbors, breaking rental rules, and impact of
technology on the rental experience.
The majority of
respondents believe they are currently paying too much, an attitude that came
through across all regions involved in the survey. Those living in the West are
slightly more likely to feel like they’re being gouged, especially when
compared to people in the South and the Midwest; 76 percent of people in the
West don’t like how high rent is where they live, compared to 71% of
Northeasterners, 66% of Southerners, and 63% of Midwesterners who said the
same.
Many point fingers at
the tech industry for causing rental prices to spike outside their
affordability zone. Given the presence of tech hubs in the region, it’s not
surprising that 38% of people living in the West— compared to 26% in the
Southeast, 25% in the Northeast, and 22% in the Midwest—say the tech industry
has ruined real estate prices in their city. In all, 28 percent of survey
respondents tied rising rents to factors related to the tech industry. Another
24 percent look closer to home for the source of their troubles, blaming
landlords themselves for high rents, and claiming landlords are raising rent
too frequently.
Responsiveness, security, and other
landlord expectations
While tech industry
growth may make some unhappy with rental prices, many renters prefer that their
landlords embrace technology to manage their rental agreement. Tech pops up in
other ways as well: 65 percent of renters say they like the idea of paying
their rent online, and 41% say they’d like to be able to sign their lease
online. And when it comes to modes of communication, 43% of renters would prefer
a landlord or property manager who texts them back.
Renters also expect a
landlord to be responsive, to maintain the property well, to provide adequate
security, and to be fair with security deposits. Twenty-three percent of
renters surveyed said their landlord or property manager has refused to repair
something, and 33% of renters said their current property manager is too slow
to make repairs. Twenty-eight percent of renters said their current landlord
doesn’t provide adequate security, while 37% said they’d pay more for a rental
with a security system installed.
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Another sore spot was
around the handling of security deposits: in exiting a rental agreement, 25
percent of renters said they’ve had a landlord or property manager unfairly
keep their security deposit. Unsurprisingly, most respondents (84%) find this
to be a serious landlord offense.
Bad neighbors, rental behavior and
landlords
Landlords and tenants
alike need to stick to good behavior in order to stay on good – and legal –
terms with each other. A tenant who violates their rental agreement can quickly
impact the safety and quality of life for neighboring tenants. And many renters
report interesting or questionable experiences with neighbors: 41 percent of
respondents said they’d suspected a neighbor was involved in criminal activity.
Renters also admit to their
own shady behavior, such as hiding a pet from their property manager (17%),
making an extra key to their rental in violation of their rental agreement
(14%), and damaging their rental property without telling their manager (12%.)
When asked about subletting their rental (such as renting it out on Airbnb),
16% of renters said they’d had an extra person living with them without telling
their property manager, and nearly one in five (18%) said they’d consider
subletting if they had space—though only 4% had done so without their landlord
knowing.
For landlords, good
behavior includes avoiding any unlawful discrimination, such as preferential
treatment between women and men. Of the renters surveyed, 27% of women reported
having had a landlord unfairly keep their security deposit, while 22% of men
stated the same. Similarly, 26% of women and 20% of men both reported a
landlord refusing to repair something.
However, when asked about whether they’d
had a landlord fail to provide adequate pest control, 23% of women said
yes—while only 14% of men said the same.
Renting around the country
Here are examples of
some specific beliefs and experiences from four of the country’s
fastest-growing rental markets—Austin, Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle:
High rent and it’s all the tech
industry’s fault – 82% of
renters in Austin, 81% in Boston and San Francisco, and 83% in Seattle believe
rent is too high.
The majority of renters who feel this way blame the
growing local tech industry – 76% in San Francisco, 57% in Austin, and 58% in
Seattle – with Boston as the exception, where only 29% agree.
Keep Austin “Weird” and Airbnb alive – Two-thirds
(66%) of renters in Austin wish people would stop moving to their city. Nearly
one-third (29%) of Austinites would sublet their rental through Airbnb if they
had space. v
Bostonians want to be left alone – 89% of
Boston renters say disrespecting a tenant’s right to privacy is unacceptable.
San Francisco area renters are the most litigious – 1 in 5
(20%) think lawsuits are the best way to solve problems with property managers,
and 10% have actually sued or tried to sue to date (vs. 4% nationally.)
Seattleites don’t care to make friends
with neighbors – While only 15% of Seattleites dislike most of their
neighbors, one in three (33%) have had an argument or fight with a neighbor,
and nearly half (45%) have suspected a neighbor of criminal activity at some
point.
More articles on Avvo’s landlord/tenant research study:
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