Environments by Design

Abstract

Owning a house is a long-held cultural norm…the “American Dream.” However, renting an apartment also has advantages. Comprising more than one-third of the US population, there are now more renters than at any time in the past 50 years. However, even with the increase in apartment demand, there is still a stigma attached to this housing option. 

The stigma toward multifamily rental housing has erupted into contentious debates at city planning meetings, as developers try to provide more affordable housing in areas where there is a shortage. Through NIMBYism and exclusionary zoning, homeowners and city leaders block apartment development in favor of neighborhoods of owner-occupied houses. However, in areas where rents already consume more than 30% of household income (and 50% in some locations), this simply drives rental prices even higher due to an imbalance of supply and demand. 

Multifamily housing organizations try to raise awareness of the value of apartments and renting. They also use their advocacy platform to train apartment industry leaders to work with elected officials on public policy issues that impact the apartment industry. However, what is missing in the apartment industry’s advocacy campaign is education for apartment staff to have a better understanding of the “rent vs. buy” debate, and how to overcome the rental apartment stigma through apartment design, amenities, marketing techniques, leasing strategies, customer service, resident retention practices, staff behavior, and volunteer activities that may unknowingly contribute to the stigma. 

The focus of this presentation is to share a Special Assigned Leave (sabbatical) experience designed to address rental apartment sigma and how to overcome it by educating apartment staff. These educational activities have the potential to change the perception of rental apartments, restore dignity to apartment residents and staff, and pave the way for additional development.