NHC Releases Paper on Rental Housing Affordability - November 8, 2010

In the wake of the mortgage foreclosure crisis, calls have grown for a national housing policy that more evenly balances homeownership and rental housing. As America “rediscovers” the rental option, one could easily forget that for at least the past several decades one in three U.S. households — or more than 37 million households in 2008 — have been renters. While often overlooked, rental housing makes up a critical segment of the nation’s housing stock, providing a home for families and individuals unable to afford the cost of ownership or whose life circumstances simply make renting a better option.

This brief looks at recent trends among renters and in the rental market, drawing from research conducted with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation by the Center for Housing Policy, the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.