A study recently published in Cityscape, “Using Linked Administrative Data to Profile a City’s Rental Stock and Landlords and Guide a Lead-Safe Housing Initiative,” explores how the linkage of several administrative datasets on properties and landlords helped inform the development of lead-safe housing policies and evaluation strategies in Cleveland, Ohio. Although the use of lead-based paint was prohibited in 1978, the vast majority of rental properties in Cleveland were constructed prior to the passage of these laws and may still pose a risk of lead exposure to occupants, especially lower-income renter households with children. Several prior studies have demonstrated that lead exposure rates among Cleveland children have been high for years, particularly in neighborhoods subjected to disinvestment or neglect – the same neighborhoods where many affordable rental housing units are found. The study shows how a data-driven approach was used to develop targeted policy interventions that more effectively addressed the barriers rental property owners face in making critical repairs to their properties.
The researchers sought to understand the characteristics of privately-owned rental properties that were built in Cleveland prior to 1978 and were active in the rental market in 2018, as well as the characteristics of their owners. Using administrative and public records obtained from the City of Cleveland, surrounding Cuyahoga County, and the U.S. Postal Service, they created two datasets containing parcel location and characteristics, owner names, owner occupancy tax credit status, rental registry dates, housing code violations and building condition ratings, periods of postal vacancy, eviction filings, whether Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) had been used at the property, owner corporate status and location (local or non-local), and other data points. This information was used to identify all pre-1978 rental parcels in Cleveland and common property owners, resulting in over 103,300 pre-1978 rental units owned by more than 36,600 unique landlords.
The researchers then generated descriptive statistics to better understand the characteristics of Cleveland’s pre-1978 rental properties that might impact the renter population’s exposure to lead and the city’s plan for mitigating these risks. They found that in 2018, nearly half (42%) of all rental units in the city were single-family homes and a quarter (24%) were two-family homes. These types of properties require a different kind of lead remediation strategy than the multifamily properties comprising the remaining third of rental units. The analysis also revealed that many properties were greatly in need of maintenance and repair, with 38% of units rated as being in bad condition and 8% of units having had at least one housing code violation between 2016 and 2018. The authors speculate that this neglect could be driven by disinvestment, noting that 17% of properties were tax-delinquent by at least $500 during the study period (2018). Although two-thirds of rental properties were found to have landlords with a Cleveland mailing address (thus, presumably local and easier to contact), only 30% of units were listed in Cleveland’s rental registry in 2018 and less than 6% of units were connected to an HCV between 2016 and 2018. This lack of engagement with housing programs suggests that many owners “may have little familiarity with local agencies and regulations, which may make it more challenging to engage them in complying with lead safety inspections and other requirements.” Over 80% of identified landlords owned just one rental property in Cleveland.
The results of the descriptive analysis suggested that multiple strategies may be needed to effectively implement lead-safe policies across Cleveland’s rental market. Therefore, the researchers developed a classification scheme to group landlords based on shared characteristics, with the goal of identifying interventions tailored to each group. Class 1 landlords were those who owned only one rental property in Cleveland, typically single-family properties that were generally rated as being in good or above-average condition; these accounted for 60% of all rental property owners and roughly 45% of rental units. Class 2 landlords also owned just one rental property in the city, but these were mostly two-family or multifamily properties in poorer physical condition and with low market value. Class 2 landlords represented 30% of rental property owners and 25% of rental units. Relative to Classes 1 and 2, Class 3 landlords (10% of property owners and 30% of rental units) were more likely to own multiple large multifamily properties in poor physical condition, to be corporate owners, and to be based outside of Cleveland.
The researchers identified Class 2 landlords as the group likely requiring the most intensive outreach and assistance to achieve compliance with Cleveland’s lead-safe laws. As “mom-and-pop” landlords owning rental properties with low market value, Class 2 owners might struggle to obtain conventional home improvement loans and lack access to other forms of capital needed to make the repairs required to bring their properties into compliance. Furthermore, a geospatial analysis showed that the properties of Class 2 landlords tend to be concentrated in the same neighborhoods that were historically subjected to redlining, as well as subprime lending and foreclosure in the 2000s and 2010s. Thus, prioritizing Class 2 landlords is also critical to achieving housing justice and health equity for Black renters in Cleveland in particular. The researchers recommend implementing a targeted outreach campaign with technical assistance, as well as improving Class 2 landlords’ access to subsidized capital such as grants and low-interest loans. In contrast, they suggest that Class 1 landlords (whose properties are in good condition) and Class 3 landlords (who are more likely to have access to capital for repairs) may be better served by an education campaign about Cleveland’s lead-safe ordinance, the process for enrolling in the local rental registry, and recommendations for qualified local contractors to assist with any needed repairs.
The findings from this study helped inform the planning and implementation of the Cleveland Lead Safe Initiative. In addition, the researchers note that similar analyses have been used to conduct ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Initiative, resulting in adjustments to the application process and maximum award amounts to better meet the needs of property owners. These data have also been used to create a public dashboard monitoring progress toward full compliance with lead-safe laws and engagement with the local rental registry.
Read the article at: https://bit.ly/3RfcO5Y