The US Census Bureau reports that, in the Midwest and across the country, housing vacancy rates have reached record highs -- especially for rental units. Figures were not broken down by city or community, but community groups on the North Side have also seen a significant rise in vacancies -- in both condo and rental buildings.
Curious, that there's been virtually no news coverage of this, given the pressure from the real estate industry to actually increase the rental vacancy rate with tax giveaways that will do little to help the housing crisis or the economy. (The Realtors routinely get news coverage of low vacancy rates.)
If tenants and tenant advocates understood the reality of high rental vacancy rates, they would have a stronger hand in negotiating with landlords over affordability and quality of housing. That makes now a good time to press for pro-tenant policies and practices.
November 01, 2009
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