The United States has entered something of a housing crisis. There are simply not enough homes for the demand. This means that many people who would like to rent properties are being squeezed out, and the demand for the properties that are on the market is extremely high.
For example, when looking only at low-income renters, the U.S. was short by about 7 million units in 2019. And that’s just considering one potential group of renters. Many people wouldn’t qualify for affordable housing anyway, but they’re still facing an overall rental unit shortage where there are more people trying to get units than there are units that are available.
Why would this cause friction?
For both landlords and tenants, this housing crisis can become problematic. One example of this is simply that rent has been going up. Many people who have been living in apartments for years or even decades are seeing their rent rise to levels that they can’t afford. This can force them to move out, and then they may have trouble finding anywhere else that they can live.
On the landlord’s side, they may experience issues when a tenant refuses to leave the apartment. Maybe the tenant hasn’t been paying rent, the landlord is trying to evict them and the tenant will not move out because they claim they have nowhere else to go.
Overall, it’s just clear that this housing crisis is going to put a lot of pressure on people on both sides of the equation. That can lead to some disputes and contentious issues between these groups, and those involved need to be sure that they understand all of their legal options.