It's Discount Week! 🎁 Pick up new Marketplace gear at a discount when you donate today! Get My Gear!

Rent reporting is affecting tenants' credit scores

Jan 1, 2024
In New York City, there's been an uptick in landlords reporting tenants' rents to credit bureaus, and not all renters are happy about it.
"One of the biggest things that landlords look at when they're deciding whether or not to rent to a tenant is their credit score," Chang said. A lower credit score can affect one's ability to move out and find a new place to live.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

With eviction filings up, some landlords stoop to illegal tactics push out tenants more quickly

Aug 30, 2023
Eviction is a formal legal process that guarantees tenants some protections, but advocates say not all landlords are willing to follow the law to push a tenant out.
Nicole Hernandez looks at photos of damage to the home she was evicted from Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Dallas.
Yfat Yossifor/KERA

Do landlords get tax credits for empty buildings? 

Aug 4, 2023
Some regions provide a form of tax relief, but under special circumstances, while others actually tax cities for commercial vacancies.
People walk past vacant stores at a mall in Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

How bad will it get for office real estate?

Jun 26, 2023
Tenants are celebrating the falling rents, but record vacancies could eventually upend the market.
Office buildings in San Francisco have particularly high vacancy rates.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Rents are way up. How are landlords picking the price?

Jan 25, 2023
The national median rent has risen over 20% since 2020, according to Apartment List. And the use of pricing algorithms used by some of the nation's biggest corporate landlords might be playing a role.
While smaller landlords still usually look at comparable units for determining prices, bigger corporate landlords use algorithms.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

How private equity is changing the rental market

Mar 2, 2022
Heather Vogell of ProPublica finds short term-oriented corporate investors are increasingly becoming apartment landlords.
"I think what we're seeing is that these companies are acting in ways that are problematic for tenants to meet their investment goals," said ProPublica reporter Heather Vogell.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Renters and landlords face challenges as federal rent assistance money begins to dry up

Dec 6, 2021
Renters and landlords have relied on federal rental assistance money, but by the end of 2021, most of that money could be gone.
Renters aren't the only one with questions as federal relief starts to run out.
Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Voters in St. Paul, Minnesota, to decide on strict rent control proposal

Oct 27, 2021
If enacted, the proposal would be one of the most aggressive rent control policies in the country, applying to new construction.
St. Paul resident Emily Lynch says the rent on her single-family home is going up by $400 per month in January, an increase of more than 30%. She’s now looking for a more affordable place to live.
Britta Greene

Pandemic puts more rental properties in private equity hands

Oct 21, 2021
Investment firms might be able to pay more for renovations, but critics say they accelerate evictions.
With landlords dealing with financial stress brought on by COVID, selling properties to private equity firms can be appealing.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

How becoming a landlord broadened one renter’s horizons

Sep 13, 2021
Zarrish Khan used to dream of owning a home, and then her dream got bigger.
Dr. Zarrish Kahn and her husband in front of their new home in Iowa City, Iowa, in June.
Courtesy of Zarrish Khan