The following is from the report's Executive Summary.
This report from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Center for Geospatial Solutions explores the current state of corporate ownership of residential land and housing in the United States.
Much of the academic and media attention on the surge in corporate real estate investment has focused on units of housing. This analysis enhances that conversation by focusing on residential parcels. This approach can provide a clearer picture of how ownership of the country’s land itself is changing as investors command a growing share of our housing stock. These shifts in landownership have economic, environmental, and social implications for communities.
The Center for Geospatial Solutions analyzed residential parcel ownership in nearly 500 urban counties where data was the most robust, creating a baseline for understanding and interrogating residential landownership patterns across the country. Across the counties studied, 8.9 percent of residential parcels are owned by corporations of various sizes. The report identifies 25 county hot spots that have the highest rates of corporate ownership of residential parcels. It also takes a closer look at three postindustrial cities—St. Louis, Cleveland, and Baltimore—to illustrate the connections between corporate investor activity and local demographics. Together, these analyses create a foundation that can be revisited to learn how residential parcel ownership by corporations is evolving.
The report concludes with an overview of land policy approaches—from providing property tax relief to launching community land trusts—that can give communities tangible tools to preserve and expand affordability. Adopting these policies can help keep more land, and the wealth-building opportunities that come with homeownership, in local hands.