How Private Equity Landlords Prey on Working-Class Communities of Color

The ownership of rental housing by private equity (PE) companies has been on the rise in the US and abroad in recent decades. PE firms invest funds contributed by institutional and otherwise large investors, including pension and sovereign wealth funds. The typical PE playbook is to taker controlling interest in a business, restructure it to increase the appearance of improved financial performance, and resell for a substantial profit. While corporate ownership is sometimes conflated with PE ownership, not all corporate landlords are PE firms. Here, we describe the factors contributing to the rise of PE and REIT ownership in housing, the impact of this trend on poor and working-class communities, and the current organizing that seeks to address it.