AHS: Housing Units that Serve Both the Renter and Owner Markets

A new report based on American Housing Survey data, "Housing Units that Serve Both the Renter and Owner Markets," has been posted to the HUD USER web site at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahs.html#analyses.

This study uses linked American Housing Survey data over the period 1985-2009 to examine the characteristics of units that change tenure between owner-occupied and renter-occupied, in either direction. It finds that the most important distinguishing characteristics are structure type and size. Single-family attached units have a higher incidence of tenure change than single-family detached units or units in multiunit structures. Smaller units, as measured by number of bedrooms, have a higher incidence of tenure change than larger units. Units tend to maintain the same tenure for long spans of time. There is a higher incidence of units that change tenure, as well as a higher incidence of renter-occupied units in general, in metropolitan areas that are undergoing rapid population growth.

The report was written by Frederick J. Eggers and Fouad Moumen of Econometrica, Inc., under contract with HUD.

Dav Vandenbroucke
Senior Economist
U.S. Dept. HUD
david.a.vandenbroucke@hud.gov
202-402-5890