Research

Original research from the Landlord Atlas verification program. Everything published here follows the same rules as the dataset: official sources only, every claim cited and dated, and archived evidence behind every finding. The methodology page describes the verification program itself.

Published research

7 pieces, newest first. Each piece states the date of the data behind its figures on its own page.

1. Analysis September 16, 2026

   Where a Tenant Can Lawfully Leave Early: The 50-State Map of Statutory Early-Termination Rights (2026)

   A count that circulates online says 47 states and the District let a domestic-violence survivor break a lease. The statutes say 33 states give a right to end the lease, 5 give only a defense to a rent claim or a release from rent, and 12 have no statute at all; two states created the right in 2026. How the 33 rights differ on notice, documents, other tenants and later screening, state by state.

   Read the analysis Download the table (CSV) Lease termination records

2. Analysis September 3, 2026

   DC Voucher Payment Standards and the FY2027 Small Area FMRs

   Washington's metro rent benchmark rises on October 1; HUD's ZIP-level Small Area FMRs inside the District, the housing authority's current citywide payment standard, and its proposed switch to a ZIP-by-ZIP standard, computed for every residential ZIP code.

   Read the analysis Download the table (CSV) District of Columbia rent table

3. Analysis September 1, 2026

   The Maximum Legal Move-In Cost in Every State (2026)

   29 states cap security deposits and 21 set no ceiling. Priced at HUD's FY2027 two-bedroom rent benchmark, the legal maximum for first month plus deposit is computed for every capped state, with the conditions each cap carries.

   Read the analysis Download the table (CSV) Security deposit recordsRent tables

4. Analysis September 1, 2026

   FY2027 Fair Market Rents: Where HUD's Rent Benchmark Rose and Fell

   HUD's FY2027 county-level Fair Market Rents against the year before, analyzed the day they published: 37 states rose, 13 fell, and 40 local areas sat on the annual decline floor, with population-weighted state rankings and the biggest local swings.

   Read the analysis Download the table (CSV) Rent tables

5. Analysis August 23, 2026

   The Eight Federal Tenant Protections in Manufactured Housing Communities: What State Law Requires, 2018 vs 2026

   Which of the eight federal Duty to Serve pad-lease tenant protections each state's law already requires, all 50 states scored under one rule set from the current statutes and compared with Freddie Mac's 2018 survey.

   Read the analysis Download the table (CSV) Manufactured housing records

6. Analysis August 15, 2026

   Where Cities Can Set Rent Limits: The 50-State Rent Control Preemption Map (2026)

   Which states bar local rent control, which permit it, and which have no statute either way, each cited to the controlling statute, with the local rent limits in force today.

   Read the analysis Download the table (CSV) Rent increase records

7. Review August 10, 2026

   How Accurate Are the Big Landlord-Tenant Law Sites? A Four-State Review

   Landlord-tenant law changed in four states between May 2025 and August 2026. We checked whether the relevant pages of two widely read landlord law reference sites reflected those changes. None did.

   Read the review Methodology