habitability

We can upkeep homes without punishing low-income residents. Here are some lessons for change, and cities already doing that work on the ground.

Almost every state in the U.S. requires that landlords maintain safe and livable residential units. This is often called a “warranty of habitability.” In some places, there are laws that specify exactly what those requirements are; in others, the standards are less defined.

Across the country, tenants and lawmakers are pushing for better standards around mold, cooling, and more. How did we get here?

Whether your home is safe and suitable for healthy living depends on a variety of factors. Shelterforce puts habitability under the lens to show how problems like inadequate heating, water damage, and pest infestations negatively affect your health and further exacerbate the housing crisis.

As more than 5,000 rent-stabilized units connected to the Pinnacle Group prepare to go up for auction in 2026, residents warn would-be buyers not to overlook the years of disrepair that made those units unlivable.

In Springfield, Missouri, senior and disabled tenants at one Millennia affordable housing building say they’ve gone about a year without a working elevator, but their organizing has gotten the city to threaten receivership if it’s not fixed soon.

Decades of increasing costs and deferred maintenance could lead to people losing their homes, unless changes are made.

In New York state, tenants can now take landlords to court to force repairs and get damages, without withholding rent first. Here’s how one of the first tests of the new law worked.

With attention—and funding—focused on new housing supply over preservation and operations, even mission-driven nonprofit affordable housing managers are struggling to maintain decent conditions in older affordable housing.

Living in substandard housing affects your mental health as well, several studies have found.