Housing continues to be a hot topic, both locally and nationally. The cost of housing, both to rent and to own, continues to rise, putting pressure on individuals and families. Organizations, activists, and planners have all been working to expand housing in hopes that abundance may help regulate price increases. At the same time, just as many organizations, activists, and other community leaders have focused on blocking development they deem out of character with their communities. As a result, after many years of being ignored, the discussion about housing is finally front and center, and the public comments are not always pretty.
After every local news story about a housing development or housing study, one thing becomes clear in the comments on social media: a vocal disdain for renters and rental properties.
While just a small sample, the above Facebook comments are not uncommon. Rental properties are seen as a burden on a community and renters bring quality of life problems for homeowners and have no investment in their neighborhoods. As a renter myself, this obviously does not reflect how I view renters and I believe the perpetuation of these views negatively impacts our communities. So let us respond to some of these concerns and offer up a defense of renters as our neighbors.
One of the primary arguments individuals make against adding rental housing, or more dense housing in general, is that it does not fit with the character of their neighborhood. In their new book, Escaping the Housing Trap, Charles L Marohn Jr and Daniel Herriges argue against this view:
“Shouldn’t a community have the right to say ‘no’ to unwanted change? Buried in the premise of the question is that refusing change is an option. But that’s not the case. Change is inevitable. A community that has lost all affordable, starter housing already has changed, irreversibly. It is only the buildings that have not. Cities must be living, evolving, complex things…Preservation is taxidermy.”
While the authors are specifically focused on addressing the lack of affordable housing, defined as affordable for varying levels of income not just low-income housing, the emphasis on allowing change in all neighborhoods is key. Families have moved to suburban areas seeking homogeneity and stability. As a result, they fight to prevent the community they have moved into from changing. But this is not sustainable. Others deserve the opportunity to move into areas that offer access to services they desire and need, such as school districts, medical care, and job opportunities. Refusing rental housing blocks many individuals and families who were not lucky enough to buy property decades ago at lower prices and ride the wave of rising home values from moving into areas of opportunity.
But we will come back to the need for more housing. Let us instead focus on the arguments against renters themselves.
A lot of rental housing in Syracuse and smaller cities include two-family homes and single family homes.
Often you will see people describe individuals who rent as less invested in their respective communities. The view here is that because they have not purchased their homes, they are less tied to their communities and more likely to leave after only a short period of time.
While this argument may sound reasonable on its face, it forgets the many renters who spend decades in the same apartment or home. It forgets the many reasons someone may choose to rent long term instead of buying. It forgets that renters are also tax payers, and pay into the same property taxes (through their rents) that homeowners do.
So why do people choose to rent?
Renting offers individuals flexibility. Recent articles in the New York Times discuss when people should consider buying versus renting and it often comes down to long term plans. Unless you plan to live in a neighborhood for 10+ years, buying a home ends up being a worse financial decision. This is a result of down payments, broker’s fees, interest rates, and repairs.
Repairs and home maintenance are underappreciated costs. For many individuals who do not have general repair skills (myself included) the cost of hiring qualified professionals to take care of plumbing, electrical, and other maintenance issues can run high. Renters, provided they have responsive and organized landlords, usually have these maintenance fees baked into their rents and can expect prompt corrections to issues as they arise. Yes, plenty of landlords do not live up to these expectations. In fact, some landlords in Syracuse are suing the City to prevent code enforcement officers from inspecting their units without warrants. These inspections are aimed at reducing lead exposure and other hazards. These landlords must be held accountable as they are responsible for the safety of all of their tenants. Allowing one- and two-family homes to avoid this level of inspection is irresponsible at best, and criminal at worst.
Common Space offers smaller apartment units with large, shared spaces geared towards creating more communal living in urban centers.
Many renters also choose to rent due to the lack of diversity in housing stock. In most American cities, including Syracuse, you either have the option to rent an apartment or buy a detached single-family home. While this has been billed as the “American Dream” for several decades, it no longer fits the needs of many American households. While our country has grown, family sizes have shrunk, even while our homes have grown larger. In 2020, I wrote about the need to redefine what the “standard American home” means, arguing that most homes do not need 2,000+ square feet of space to accommodate 2 or 3 people. Townhouses, rowhouses, smaller multi-family buildings can provide needed and more appropriately sized space for these smaller households that are may desire lower levels of upkeep. These denser housing types also create opportunities to provide transit and active transportation facilities that larger lots and houses make difficult. Unfortunately, many townhouses within the Syracuse area today are not built in an urban context, but instead in suburban subdivisions which continue to separate people from their day-to-day needs. Providing a homeownership option that fits their needs in a truly urban setting may convince many renters to buy, but currently their only option to live in these types of neighborhoods is to rent.
While not traditional townhouses, the Catholic Diocese of Syracuse mimics traditional townhome and brownstone construction seen in larger cities and in Syracuse, historically.
And yet, many view anything smaller than these large, detached homes as squeezing people into tin cans or barracks. They view urban settings, including apartment buildings and townhouses as inhumane. Yet zoning that restricts the development of denser housing more often leads to overcrowding as the number of housing units does not keep pace with the number of households. As a result, extended families crowd into single homes and people must live with more roommates than they would desire otherwise. The below graphic from California YIMBY illustrates these differences clearly.
The final argument against renters I will discuss in this post, is one I have addressed in numerous other posts - the lack of parking. People will argue that denser housing, usually apartments that do not provide off-street parking, will cause neighborhood streets to become clogged with cars. While there may be slight increases in on-street parking usage in the short term, as we promote density, more residents will find themselves closer to their day-to-day needs, perhaps even within walking distance, and opting to own fewer vehicles. If concerns arise over the overuse of on-street parking, residential parking permit programs with caps on the number of vehicles can help limit the number of vehicles on the street. But it is important to note that renters and owners are just as likely to park on the street in many neighborhoods.
We must remember that we all have different needs and desires when it comes to housing. Many people will desire home ownership, but many others find renting fits their needs better. In the end, we are all part of the same community and should welcome having more neighbors, especially if they are looking to invest in their neighborhoods, be it through money or time. Renters matter in our communities so let us open our arms to more of them.
Many of Syracuse’s historic buildings have been converted into apartments and mixed-use developments over the past 20 years.