Signal 4: Analytics Can Save Rent Stabilization
A key factor leading to New York City having one of the highest homeless populations in the United States is the lack of affordable housing. According to the U.S. Census, around 45% of New Yorkers are rent-burdened (meaning they spend more than 35% of their income on rent alone). Having rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartments used to ensure housing for those with little means, but some landlords resort to shady practices to kick out tenants in those houses, which then loses its control or stabilization. Nefarious tactics include not turning on the heat deep into winter and sending investigators to harass tenants. In an effort to combat unruly landlords, the Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics use data analysis to pinpoint likely suspects. Investigators cull through a variety of datasets that include the Decennial Census, City Tax Bills, and other open data sets to model tenant harassment. After the model determines a high risk of tenant harassment, they send investigators, posing as prospective renters with matching backgrounds except one uses housing vouchers to pay, to inquire about the property. If only the renter with the vouchers is denied, then the landlord is likely guilty of discrimination. MODA hopes that more high-profile cases will deter lower-level landlords from discrimination and protect tenants from losing rent-regulated housing.
