Journal article
Breanca Merritt, Morgan D. Farnworth
Housing Policy Debate, vol. 31(3-5), 2021, pp. 562-581
Housing Policy Debate, vol. 31(3-5), 2021, pp. 562-581
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APA
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Merritt, B., & Farnworth, M. D. (2021). State Landlord–Tenant Policy and Eviction Rates in Majority-Minority Neighborhoods. Housing Policy Debate, 31(3-5), 562–581. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2020.1828989
Chicago/Turabian
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Merritt, Breanca, and Morgan D. Farnworth. “State Landlord–Tenant Policy and Eviction Rates in Majority-Minority Neighborhoods.” Housing Policy Debate 31, no. 3-5 (2021): 562–581.
MLA
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Merritt, Breanca, and Morgan D. Farnworth. “State Landlord–Tenant Policy and Eviction Rates in Majority-Minority Neighborhoods.” Housing Policy Debate, vol. 31, no. 3-5, 2021, pp. 562–81, doi:10.1080/10511482.2020.1828989.
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@article{breanca2021a,
title = {State Landlord–Tenant Policy and Eviction Rates in Majority-Minority Neighborhoods},
year = {2021},
issue = {3-5},
journal = {Housing Policy Debate},
pages = {562-581},
volume = {31},
doi = {10.1080/10511482.2020.1828989},
author = {Merritt, Breanca and Farnworth, Morgan D.}
}
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.
