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  4. May 2020
  5. Do Nuisance Ordinances Increase Eviction Risk?

Do Nuisance Ordinances Increase Eviction Risk?

  • Sarah Kroeger
  • Giulia La Mattina
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 110, May 2020
(pp. 452-56)
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Abstract

We estimate the causal impact of criminal activity nuisance ordinances on tenant evictions and eviction filings. These ordinances penalize property owners when certain types of illegal activity occur on or near their property, reported primarily through 911 calls. We exploit the staggered implementation of laws by municipalities and estimate the treatment effect on eviction outcomes using a difference-in-difference framework. The results show that criminal activity nuisance ordinances increase eviction filing rates by about 16 percent of the sample mean and court ordered evictions by 14 percent of the sample mean.

Citation

Kroeger, Sarah, and Giulia La Mattina. 2020. "Do Nuisance Ordinances Increase Eviction Risk?" AEA Papers and Proceedings, 110: 452-56. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20201119

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law
  • R31 Housing Supply and Markets
  • R38 Production Analysis and Firm Location: Government Policy