Los Angeles eviction rate lower than Vegas and Atlanta

Los Angeles has a lower rate of eviction than Las Vegas and Atlanta. A recent report from rental-listings site Apartment List found that locales with higher rents, like New York, Los Angeles and the Silicon Valley area, have among the lowest eviction rates in the country. Some of the highest rates were found in more modestly priced spots like Memphis and Las Vegas, according to survey data the company collected from 8 million users over the last three years.

The survey found similar results for renters across the annual income spectrum. For instance, higher-income renters—defined here as those with incomes above $60,000—had eviction rates of 2.9% in Las Vegas and 2.8% in Memphis, cities where the overall eviction rates were 5.5% and 6.1%, respectively. Renters in the same income bracket had eviction rates of 0.8% in Boston and 0.9% in San Francisco, areas with overall eviction rates of 2% and 1.6%, respectively. While the metro-level data used in the company’s analysis could mask higher rates of renter displacement in specific rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, in general the numbers indicate that a strong local economy keeps eviction rates low even in the face of lofty rents, says Christopher Salviati, housing economist at Apartment List.

Also possible, he notes, is that tight rental markets in these cities make it difficult for borderline renters to get a lease in the first place. In these markets, “Landlords have more discretion in terms of who they are renting to,” he says. “So if you are a renter whose history might suggest you would have more difficulty paying rent, you would probably have a harder time even getting your foot in the door.”

SOURCE: Adam Bon is law ski