Landlords and Housing Quality in Rural Georgia: Assessing the Relationship

AbstractLandlords play a key role in maintaining the quality of rental properties. Similarly, over the last decade, the growth of financial instruments such as real estate investment trusts (REITs) along with widespread use of LLCs allow landlords to consolidate holdings with little local oversight on housing quality. Research on both these trends has focused mainly on urbanized areas. Rental properties are also common in many rural communities, but patterns of property ownership have been understudied. This article draws from community-generated data on local housing conditions and property records to describe patterns of property ownership in five rural Georgia communities using exploratory statistical and geographic analysis. We then use statistical models to assess how housing quality is related to landlord characteristics including landlords’ locations, number of total holdings, and LLC status. Our analysis finds that large, corporate ownership is limited in these communities, and that property ownership is largely local or regional, commonly including owners residing in the Atlanta metropolitan area. We also identify that properties owned by landlords with five or more properties have a significantly greater risk of dilapidation. Policies that support rural communities’ assessment of local property conditions and increase tenant protections may improve local affordable housing options.Keywords: Landlordsrural housingGeorgiahousing quality Disclosure StatementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 All communities are referred to using a pseudonym.2 See https://www.fcs.uga.edu/fhce/gich for more information.3 https://getodk.org4 https://www.fulcrumapp.comAdditional informationFundingThis work was supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.Notes on contributorsJerry ShannonJerry Shannon is an Associate Professor in Geography and in Financial Planning, Housing, and Consumer Economics at the University of Georgia with interests in urban development and inequality, geographic information systems, and place effects on health. His research often uses participatory methods and focuses on the role of maps and spatial analysis in shaping our understanding of hunger, housing, poverty, and neighborhood development.Kim SkobbaKim Skobba is a Meigs Professor in Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics at the University of Georgia and the director of the UGA Center for Housing and Community Research. Her research focuses on the experiences of people who face the most significant challenges in securing housing and how local leaders in rural small towns perceive and make decisions about affordable housing needs in their communities.Jermaine DurhamJermaine Durham is an Assistant Professor of Housing and Community Development in the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Science. Dr. Durham also serves as the director of the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH). GICH assists Georgia communities in the development of housing and neighborhood revitalization strategies to improve their quality of life and economic vitality.