The Costs of Seeking Shelter for Renters With Discrediting Background Records

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Questions and Answers

What is the main focus of the article?

The challenges faced by renters with stigmatizing background records in securing rental housing (correct)
The economic impacts of rental housing search on tenants without discrediting background records
The psychological strains associated with housing search for all prospective tenants
The benefits of temporary living situations for disadvantaged renters

What are some of the documented costs associated with the housing search process for renters with discrediting background records?

Direct financial costs and improved credit histories
Legal mobilization and political activism
Social support and housing security
Indirect financial costs and psychological strains (correct)

What does the article suggest about the housing search process for disadvantaged renters?

It primarily benefits private landlords
It is a direct source of economic and social precarity (correct)
It has no impact on the broader housing policy regime
It serves as a vehicle for upward residential mobility

What is the primary consequence of rental housing unaffordability and insecurity according to the research?

All of the above (D) Signup and view all the answers

How do federal rental subsidy programs impact low-income households?

They leave three out of four eligible low-income households unassisted (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of recent studies on tenant screening practices according to the text?

Examination of the effects on economic and social well-being of tenants (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the concerns raised about tenant screening criteria in housing?

Tenant screening criteria can lead to new legal guidance on fair housing liability (C) Signup and view all the answers

How do market-oriented scoring technologies like credit scoring impact individuals?

They make individuals ineligible for essential goods, services, and employment opportunities (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is suggested about landlords' beliefs regarding commercial tenant screening companies?

Landlords believe deferring to the judgments of commercial tenant screening companies insulates them from liability under antidiscrimination law (B) Signup and view all the answers

What did Viola do to investigate the unresponsiveness of landlords to her inquiries about rental advertisements?

She posted her own fake rental ad to see the response rate (A) Signup and view all the answers

According to Denise, what makes it particularly challenging to secure housing with private owners in the competitive rental market?

A large pool of more qualified applicants (D) Signup and view all the answers

What was the primary consequence faced by the respondents as they struggled to find private market housing with discrediting background records?

Economic, psychological, and political costs (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the challenges faced by renters with discrediting background records as described in the text?

Difficulty in finding housing due to high demand (D) Signup and view all the answers

How does the text suggest the housing search process impacts disadvantaged renters?

It reinforces the perception that they are powerless to challenge landlord practices (B) Signup and view all the answers

What did Sandra face in her search for rental housing due to an eviction on her record?

Discrimination based on race (B) Signup and view all the answers

What belief do landlords express regarding their rights in selecting tenants?

They affirm their unassailable rights to screen and select tenants (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the concerns raised about the evaluation of renters based on background screening reports?

Renters have little control over how they are evaluated based on background screening reports (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is one area where future comparative research could make important contributions?

Effect of rental market tightness on renters with stigmatizing records (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the needs highlighted by the small-scale, single-site case study?

Financial costs incurred by renters during their housing search (B) Signup and view all the answers

What does the text suggest is an area where more research would advance housing scholars’ understandings?

Fee assessment practices in the rental industry (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is one concern expressed by tenant advocates and local policymakers?

Proliferation of application and move-in fees in the rental industry (A) Signup and view all the answers

What makes it particularly challenging to secure housing with private owners in the competitive rental market according to Denise?

Strict tenant selection criteria (D) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Scholars have raised concerns about the racially discriminatory impacts of forecloseable background screening criteria in housing, specifically policies that bar applicants with felonies.
Tenant screening criteria have been implicated in discriminatory differential treatment, leading to new legal guidance on fair housing liability.
Economic sociologists have highlighted how the use of administrative behavioral records like criminal and eviction histories can structure life trajectories and deepen inequality.
Market-oriented scoring technologies, such as credit scoring and tenant screening reports, can construct classes of individuals ineligible for essential goods, services, and employment opportunities.
The stratifying effects of economic classification schemes built on scoring technologies can be self-reinforcing, with a low credit score increasing the likelihood of risky mortgage products and eviction records foreclosing housing opportunities.
Landlords increasingly use data from commercial background check reports to screen rental applicants, with an "ostensibly data-driven" approach signaling neutral indicators of market fitness and risk.
Recent research suggests that landlords believe deferring to the judgments of commercial tenants screening companies insulates them from liability under antidiscrimination law.
Housing scholars are increasingly aware of the housing access and equity problems linked to modern tenant screening practices, but have yet to examine the impact on tenants beyond limiting their housing options.
Research questions include the consequences of modern tenant screening practices for the economic, social, and emotional well-being of renters, the lessons they learn from the housing search process, and how this shapes their strategies for securing housing or their understandings of fairness and legitimacy.
The article uses a descriptive, ground-level case study to explore how renters with discrediting background records navigate the rental housing market and are affected by the housing search and application process.

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Description

Explore the sociological research on the housing search experiences of disadvantaged renters, focusing on patterns of downward residential mobility and the impact on poverty and inequality. Understand how low-income renters are often relegated to substandard housing in disadvantaged neighborhoods through the housing search process.