Extractive landlord strategies: How the private rental market creates crime hot spots

Eviction Labs research reports on “extractive landlord strategies.” Using Milwaukee as their example, they write,

As described in reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Hoff and his staff routinely ignored tenants’ maintenance requests, refusing to deal with cockroach and rodent infestations and malfunctioning heat and plumbing. But when tenants fell behind on rent, Hoff was quick to file eviction cases. This strategy made sense because eviction filings intimidate tenants, saddle them with fees, limit future housing options by damaging rental histories, and grant the landlord considerable legal power—even if no eviction is ever executed. Indeed, eviction was so central to Hoff’s business strategy that he gave the holding companies listed as the owners of these properties names beginning with the letter A, such as “Aardvark Properties,” to ensure they would be at the top of the docket in eviction court.

The research shows a direct correlation between extractive landlord practices and crime. “Focusing on the case of Milwaukee, we find that, in addition to fostering housing insecurity and creating hazardous living conditions for their tenants, landlords who rely on these strategies also make their properties and neighborhoods less safe.” Much like the recent Cornell University study, No Shelter, No Safety, Eviction Lab shows insecure housing, and evictions specifically, have a direct impact on crime.