Landlords and legal aid can collaborate for housing stability

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) released a new research brief , “Beyond Eviction: Landlords as Essential Partners in Housing Stability.” It explores critical factors in eviction cases—including economic realities, timing and long-term consequences of eviction records—and the impact of these factors on landlords and tenants.

Landlords provide a critical resource: over 45 million U.S. households are renters, making up one-third of all occupied residences. Drawing on research, case examples and promising practices, this new brief illustrates how collaboration with civil legal aid and other community partners helps landlords avoid eviction, preserve rental income and strengthen their communities in the process.

Key takeaways of this brief include:

• Most eviction filings involve rent-burdened households—people paying over 30% of their income toward housing. More than one-quarter of all rental units in the U.S. are owned by small, “mom-and-pop” landlords who often rely on timely rent to cover expenses. These factors together create a fragile balance.

• Despite common perceptions, eviction proceedings rarely result in landlords recovering all rent owed. In fact, filing for eviction is likely to lead to prolonged income loss, greater administrative burdens and additional costs for future tenants.

• By working together, landlords and legal aid providers can reduce financial losses, improve stability for all parties and minimize the costs and disruptions of eviction.

• When a case does end up in eviction court, legal representation for tenants benefits both parties, as well as the court system. Legal counsel helps to streamline the process, leading to quicker resolutions where all parties understand their obligations.

The brief also highlights partnership strategies such as providing pre-filing notices, rental assistance programs, and eviction diversion and prevention programs.

For additional information and to view the full series, visit: www.lsc.gov/eviction.

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