Renters are more likely than homeowners to feel disconnected from their neighbors, according to a Redfin survey of 894 renters and 805 homeowners ages 18 to 65.
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Renters are more likely than homeowners to feel disconnected from their neighbors, according to a Redfin survey of 894 renters and 805 homeowners ages 18 to 65.
Less than half of American renters (46.7 percent) say they feel a sense of community in their neighborhoods — 36 percent less than homeowners (63.6 percent). The reason? Renters are more likely to avoid their neighbors (41.6 percent) than homeowners (33.1 percent) and are less likely to feel they have something in common with their neighbors (38.9 percent) than their homeowners (58.5 percent).
Daryl Fairweather
Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather said the survey results are not surprising since renters tend to be more short-term than homeowners. Less than half of survey respondents who have lived in their neighborhood for less than a year say they feel connected to their neighbors (47.6 percent). That number increased to 58.1 percent for respondents who had lived in their area for six to 10 years.
“When someone buys a house, they are investing in the area and the neighbors, which means they will see the neighbors for many years to come. Many homeowners want good relations with their neighbors because of that,” he said in a written statement. On the other hand, tenants tend to stay in their homes for a short time, which means they usually don’t want to know the neighbors.”
There’s also a generative trend, Redfin says, as younger homeowners are more likely than older homeowners to say they feel connected to their communities.
More than two-thirds (67.6 percent) of millennial and Gen Z homeowners say they feel like friends in their neighborhood, compared to 61.1 percent of Gen Xers and 59.3 percent of baby boomers. On the employer side, boomers had the greatest sense of belonging (52.5 percent) followed by Gen-Xers (47.5 percent), and millennials and Gen-Zers (44.4 percent).
“Younger homeowners likely feel more connected to their communities because they recently chose to live there, while older homeowners may be unhappy with how the area has changed since they first bought decades ago,” Fairweather said.
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