Small multifamily homes have historically provided inexpensive housing for renters and buyers, but developers have converted many of them in recent decades into larger, single-family units. This has worsened the affordable housing crisis, say researchers.
These buildings, commonly called “triple-deckers, two-flats, or brownstones,” provide historical context and add character to urban neighborhoods along with affordability. Nationwide, low-cost rentals have vanished by more than half a million units per year between 2014 and 2018, according to a report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS). New York City alone, lost more than 100,000 homes since 1950 due to conversions of multifamily buildings into single-family “mansions,” according to a report by Dwell.
Many of these buildings supply what is termed “naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH)”—unsubsidized units rented at relatively low rates. A 2021 McKinsey report found that NOAHs constitute the nation’s largest category of affordable housing units, and that has prompted legislative action to preserve them in some cities.
For instance, in 2021 Chicago’s city council passed two ordinances to discourage developers from eliminating NOAH in two neighborhoods. Developers face up to $15,000 (or $5,000 for each lost unit) for tearing down or converting multifamily buildings.
Preserving older NOAHs takes more than laws, though, it requires someone to spend money to keep them in working order. According to a recent JCHS report, the median unit in small multifamily structures was built 54 years ago. That’s nine years older than the typical single-family home. NOAHs also “face significantly higher quality and structural issues” than your average single-family house, the JCHS report says.
Related Stories
MFPRO+ News | Nov 21, 2023
Underused strip malls offer great potential for conversions to residential use
Replacing moribund strip malls with multifamily housing could make a notable dent in the housing shortage and revitalize under-used properties across the country, according to a report from housing nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners.
MFPRO+ News | Nov 21, 2023
Renters value amenities that support a mobile, connected lifestyle
Multifamily renters prioritize features and amenities that reflect a mobile, connected lifestyle, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and Grace Hill 2024 Renter Preferences Survey.
Industry Research | Nov 17, 2023
Air conditioning amenity sees largest growth in Pacific Northwest region
The 2024 Renter Preferences Survey Report sheds light on the demographics, lifestyle, connectivity needs, and more for the renters of today. At the top of this list—the feature that respondents are “interested in” or “won't rent without”—is air conditioning.
MFPRO+ News | Nov 15, 2023
Average U.S multifamily rents drop $3 to $1,718 in October 2023: Yardi Matrix
Multifamily fundamentals continued to soften and impact rents last month, according to the latest Yardi Matrix National Multifamily Report. The average U.S. asking rent dropped $3 to $1,718 in October, with year-over-year growth moderating to 0.4%, down 40 basis points from September. Occupancy slid to 94.9%, marking the first decline in four months.
MFPRO+ Special Reports | Oct 27, 2023
Download the 2023 Multifamily Annual Report
Welcome to Building Design+Construction and Multifamily Pro+’s first Multifamily Annual Report. This 76-page special report is our first-ever “state of the state” update on the $110 billion multifamily housing construction sector.
Market Data | Oct 23, 2023
New data finds that the majority of renters are cost-burdened
The most recent data derived from the 2022 Census American Community Survey reveals that the proportion of American renters facing housing cost burdens has reached its highest point since 2012, undoing the progress made in the ten years leading up to the pandemic.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 115 Multifamily Construction Firms for 2023
Clark Group, Suffolk Construction, Summit Contracting Group, Whiting-Turner Contracting, and McShane Companies top the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 75 Multifamily Engineering Firms for 2023
Kimley-Horn, WSP, Tetra Tech, Olsson, and Langan head the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023
Top 190 Multifamily Architecture Firms for 2023
Humphreys and Partners, Gensler, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Niles Bolton Associates, and AO top the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.
Senior Living Design | Oct 19, 2023
Senior living construction poised for steady recovery
Senior housing demand, as measured by the change in occupied units, continued to outpace new supply in the third quarter, according to NIC MAP Vision. It was the ninth consecutive quarter of growth with a net absorption gain. On the supply side, construction starts continued to be limited compared with pre-pandemic levels.
