Corporate landlords used aggressive tactics to push out more tenants than was known

After a year-long investigation, a Congressional subcommittee says four corporate landlords were quick to push out renters during the pandemic, and filed nearly three times as many eviction actions as previously reported — almost 15,000 in all. The findings add data and detail to a growing body of reporting — and mounting complaints — about investor landlords, including concerns that they are fueling skyrocketing rents amid a historic shortage of affordable housing.

"As countless Americans acted admirably to support their communities during the coronavirus crisis, the four landlord companies...evicted aggressively to pad their profits," said House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) in a statement.

He chairs the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, which began its investigation after reports that the companies had high eviction filing rates despite a federal eviction moratorium, and often refused to accept emergency rental aid. The report looks at the actions of Pretium Partners, Invitation Homes, Ventron Management and The Siegel Group during the first 16 months of the pandemic. The companies own properties across 28 states.