Home Owners Don’t Like Renters as Neighbors
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Americans don’t care to get to know the neighbor renting next door, according to a survey of more than 3,000 adults conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Trulia.
Home owners dismiss neighbors who are renters more than any other group living in their neighborhood, the survey finds. Thirty-five percent of respondents say it’s most important to them that their neighbors be home owners, and 51 percent of home owners say they prefer to have other home owners as neighbors. That compares to 33 percent who say they prefer neighbors who speak the same language as them, 16 percent who say they prefer neighbors with the same family structure, and 10 percent who say they prefer the same race and ethnicity.
At a time when more single-family homes have been turned into rentals, other surveys have found a prejudice against renter neighbors, too. Nearly 75 percent of home owners say that renters are bad neighbors, according to a survey by NeighborsFromHell.com.
“Renters are less likely to adapt to local customs concerning noise, trash, parking, and lawn upkeep,” says Robert Borzotta, founder of NeighborsFromHell.com. “Home owners are perceived to care more about their property, its appearance, safety of the community, and property values.”
Still, according to the Trulia survey, two-thirds of those surveyed say they like their neighbors. But don’t expect them to know their neighbors’ names. Only 46 percent of urbanites say they know their neighbor’s name.
Source: “America’s Least Favorite Neighbors: Renters,” MarketWatch (Oct. 30, 2013)
