Open Access Journal Article

Post-Pandemic Rental Housing Affordability Economics in the U.S., U.K., & Canada

by Grant Alexander Wilson a,* orcid ,  Jason Jogia b  and  Tyler Case c
a
Hill & Levene Schools of Business, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
b
Chief Investment Officer, Avenue Living, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
c
Edwards School of Business, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
EAL  2024 3(2):58; https://doi.org/10.58567/eal03020007
Received: 13 January 2024 / Accepted: 9 March 2024 / Published Online: 12 March 2024
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Abstract

Rental unaffordability is defined as spending more than 30% of a household’s gross income on rent. Post-pandemic inflation and interest rate increases have intensified rental unaffordability. This research examines rental affordability in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada. It also explores the effect of renters’ “affordability knowledge” – defined as the expertise tenants have and use to make economical rental housing choices – on rent expenditure and affordability positioning and compares personal finances, economic perspectives, and demographics based on renters in affordable and unaffordable situations. The results show that nearly two-thirds of the renters studied are in unaffordable rental situations. Interestingly, affordability knowledge was found to reduce rent spent and increase affordability situations. Significant demographic differences were found between those in affordable and unaffordable rental situations, including rent spending, food spending, transportation spending, savings, perceived homeownership likelihood, and age. The research offers important insight into current rental affordability economics, recommendations for policymakers, and opportunities for real estate organizations.

Keywords: Affordability; Rental housing; Rental economics;
Copyright: © 2024 by Wilson, Jogia and Case. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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ACS Style
Wilson, G. A.; Jogia, J.; Case, T. Post-Pandemic Rental Housing Affordability Economics in the U.S., U.K., & Canada. Economic Analysis Letters, 2024, 3, 58. https://doi.org/10.58567/eal03020007
AMA Style
Wilson G A, Jogia J, Case T. Post-Pandemic Rental Housing Affordability Economics in the U.S., U.K., & Canada. Economic Analysis Letters; 2024, 3(2):58. https://doi.org/10.58567/eal03020007
Chicago/Turabian Style
Wilson, Grant A.; Jogia, Jason; Case, Tyler 2024. "Post-Pandemic Rental Housing Affordability Economics in the U.S., U.K., & Canada" Economic Analysis Letters 3, no.2:58. https://doi.org/10.58567/eal03020007
APA style
Wilson, G. A., Jogia, J., & Case, T. (2024). Post-Pandemic Rental Housing Affordability Economics in the U.S., U.K., & Canada. Economic Analysis Letters, 3(2), 58. https://doi.org/10.58567/eal03020007

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