1. Serial Evictions: Property Managers, Tenants, and Civil Court Sanctions.
- Author
-
Leung, Lillian, Hepburn, Peter, and Desmond, Matthew
- Subjects
LEGAL sanctions ,EVICTION ,LEGAL costs ,LANDLORD-tenant relations ,COURT records ,FINANCIAL stress - Abstract
Drawing on over 8 million eviction records from 28 states, this study documents a feature of housing insecurity--serial evictions--undetected by previous research. Serial evictions occur when a property manager files to evict the same household repeatedly from the same address. This study shows serial evictions to be common: filings associated with serial cases made up more than half of eviction filings in our sample. In-depth interviews with property managers, tenants, and court officials document the dynamics and consequences of serial evictions. When the barriers to entry are low, property managers use housing court to help them collect rent and late fees; they routinely pass court costs on to tenants, thereby increasing the latter's financial hardship. For the average tenant who experiences serial evictions, fines and fees can increase housing costs by as much as 22%. Tenants report that being taken to court multiple times also produces psychological strain, social withdrawal, and legal cynicism. Serial evictions exacerbate tenants' housing cost burden and compromise their quality of life in ways not reflected by the standard indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019