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State Landlord–Tenant Policy and Eviction Rates in Majority-Minority Neighborhoods

Breanca Merritt,Morgan D Farnworth

Published 2020 in Housing Policy Debate

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT This article assesses (a) the extent to which state landlord–tenant legislation may influence local evictions and (b) whether those laws may influence eviction-related outcomes within communities of color. This analysis uses an original data set combining 2016 state- and block group-level data from Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, the American Community Survey, and landlord-tenant policy typologies, based on state statutes related to landlord-tenant law. Using multilevel mixed-effects models, we find that neighborhoods in states with more tenant-friendly policy environments were associated with lower eviction and filing rates compared with those in states with more landlord–friendly policies. However, compared with majority-White neighborhoods, eviction and filing rates in communities of color and majority-Black neighborhoods remained significantly higher—even in states with more tenant-friendly policies. In other words, tenant-friendly policies appear to support the reduction of eviction disparities but not the elimination of them. These findings suggest state housing policy environments matter for eviction-related outcomes broadly and for communities of color. We propose that eliminating racial disparities should include a focus on the implicitly racialized nature of housing and landlord–tenant policy, specifically.

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