Who owns or operates rooming houses?
The Rooming House Information Center carried out a survey in 1996 of rooming house operators. Of 358 surveys, 75 (21%) were completed. Of these respondents: 69% operated only one boarding or rooming house; 52% had been in business for more than 10 years; 36% had houses with fewer than 10 beds; 51% had difficulty covering mortgage and operating costs; 44% were in the business because they cared about providing good housing for low-income people; 25% wanted to get out of the business. Although the owners and operators are a diverse group, clearly there are many that are operating on a small scale, with limited financial resources.
