Marion DavisDec 26, 2022

Small landlords, especially owner occupants in older houses, control a large share of the affordable market-rate units we still have in Greater Boston. But many are still struggling due to the effects of the pandemic, and in some areas, like East Boston, they're being targeted heavily by prospective buyers.

In pandemic’s aftermath, small landlords are still feeling the pressure https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/25/business/pandemics-aftermath-small-landlords-are-still-feeling-pressure/

#rentalhousing #affordablehousing #greaterboston @wutrain

In pandemic’s aftermath, small landlords are still feeling the pressure

Struggling tenants and surging inflation are squeezing mom-and-pop landlords in Greater Boston, and there’s growing concern they’ll sell their buildings.

The Boston Globe
Show threadKlausDec 26, 2022
@marionsd @wutrain feel like we had this convo many months ago on the old bird site. But do we think this situation—owner occupants of 2 families renting out non-updated units at below market rents—is really a part of the housing picture we should try to preserve long term? I don’t see it. Just think we’re better off building them bigger and preserving affordable unit counts greater than what will be lost as these old buildings get sold.
Show threadMarion DavisDec 26, 2022
@klaus As someone who lived in an owner-occupied house for 10+ years, paying well below the rents at Maxwell's Green and other new buildings nearby, my answer is YES, absolutely! Also has long made owning more viable for the non-rich, including many people of color, like the couple featured in the story. Owner-occupied triple-deckers are a very good New England tradition. Nonprofit-owned houses with deed restrictions as @wutrain is helping fund are great too, but we need both, AND new buildings.
Show threadKlausDec 26, 2022
@marionsd I love triple deckers. But I think the time has long passed where buying a building in Boston, Cambridge, or here and renting out units is a viable path for the non rich, no matter how much we constrain the size of the buildings. Here it seems we count on long time owners who have paid off their homes to rent non updated units at below market to create “affordable” units. And it’s nice this happens, but they always eventually sell and then it’s a crisis for the tenants.
Show threadMarion DavisDec 26, 2022
@klaus So is the best outcome for every triple-decker to ultimately be condofied, bought by a corporation or a nonprofit, or else demolished to be replaced by a commercial apartment building or condos? I don't like that at all. I believe these small landlords are important for affordability, for neighborhood stability and for community. I don't think there's a single solution, but I want policy-makers to try, not accept this as just the way it is.
Show threadMarion DavisDec 26, 2022
@klaus Also, I don't believe these are only valuable if they're super cheap. But owner occupants will sacrifice some profits for tenants they like and want to keep long-term. I benefited from that, and I also became part of the community in part because I was in small-scale housing, with neighbors we knew by name.
Show threadJeff Byrnes

@marionsd @klaus I don’t that the scale of one’s building dictates whether or not you know your neighbors. I’ve lived in large & small buildings, and I’ve known my neighbors at every address I’ve lived at.

Stability is, ultimately, the arbiter of how plugged in someone can be to their community. If you’re not sure you’ll be here next year (or you’re constantly hustling to make rent) you’re less likely to get involved, y’know?

Dec 26, 2022 at 5:51pmWeb
Show threadMarion DavisDec 26, 2022

@jeffbyrnes @klaus There is extensive research about the challenges of social interactions in high-rise buildings. E.g. see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7369851/

I myself started at 473 Broadway, which isn't high-rise but is much bigger than triple-deckers, and I got to know exactly one neighbor, vs. quite a few while living in a house. It's not impossible to make connections, but it's harder. This is a key reason why public housing was reinvented as mid-rise buildings instead of towers.

Where do People Interact in High-Rise Apartment Buildings? Exploring the Influence of Personal and Neighborhood Characteristics

Early studies conclude that high-rise apartment buildings present challenges for people’s quality of life, resulting in social isolation, social annoyance and anonymity for residents. Nevertheless, empirical research into factors supporting social ...

PubMed Central (PMC)