A penetrating exploration of the forever crisis that pits landlords against low-income tenants and a road map for change

The United States has abdicated its responsibility to provide housing for everyone who needs it, leaving millions of Americans rent-burdened, with only a fortunate few receiving housing assistance. American Landlord shows how this broken system relies on for-profit landlords who are expected to provide decent housing to tenants who do not earn enough money to be profitably housed.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with scores of landlords and property managers in Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, and Washington, DC, Philip Garboden and Eva Rosen describe the common strategies these landlords employ to solve this dilemma, from more benign ones like working with tenants on payment plans to more unscrupulous practices like discriminatory screening and targeted eviction. These tactics are not aberrations but the inevitable result of a fundamental dilemma: how to profit off people who cannot afford to pay. We meet the smalltime landlords—mostly ordinary people seeking stability and financial independence—who are drawn into risky investments by popular myths about easy money in real estate. We hear from the corporate landlords who manage tenant relations through automation and algorithmic control. And we learn about the entrepreneurs who specialize in making money from government subsidy programs.

American Landlord demands that we fundamentally reconsider our housing advocacy. Stronger tenant protections and building more housing are both critical, but neither will alone solve the fundamental problem faced by America’s poorest renters. A true solution to the housing crisis requires significant public investment in both people and places.