The Global Housing Crisis

Evictions, Exploitative Landlords and the Fight for Housing Justice

By AI TV INFO Investigative Unit

Housing has long been recognized by the United Nations as a fundamental human right. Yet in 2026, for billions of people worldwide, secure housing is becoming increasingly unattainable.

Across continents, soaring rents, aggressive eviction practices, speculative investment, and a widening imbalance of power between landlords and tenants are creating one of the defining social crises of the 21st century.

From New York to London, Berlin to Toronto, Paris to Dublin, millions of renters face growing insecurity while governments struggle to keep pace with rapidly changing housing markets.

This AI TV INFO investigation examines the scale of the crisis, the business models driving housing instability, and the reforms being introduced to protect tenants.

A Global Emergency

The housing crisis is no longer confined to individual cities or countries.

According to international housing research:

• Approximately 3.4 billion people live without secure, safe or adequate housing.
• Between 2003 and 2023, an estimated 64 million people were formally evicted worldwide.
• Researchers believe the real figure is significantly higher because many evictions occur informally and go unrecorded.

Housing experts increasingly describe today’s crisis as one driven not only by shortages of homes, but also by the growing financialization of housing—where homes are treated primarily as investment assets rather than places to live.

Housing Becomes an Investment Commodity

Over the past two decades, institutional investors, private equity firms, and real estate investment funds have acquired millions of rental properties across developed economies.

Academic research has found that corporate landlords frequently pursue strategies focused on maximizing returns through:

• rapid rent increases
• frequent tenant turnover
• aggressive eviction filings
• reduced maintenance costs
• additional mandatory fees

In several markets, housing has evolved from social infrastructure into a financial product.

The Eviction Economy

Perhaps the clearest indicator of housing insecurity is eviction.

United States

Before the COVID-19 pandemic:

• landlords filed approximately 3–4 million eviction cases annually
• roughly seven eviction cases every minute

Recent monitoring by Princeton University’s Eviction Lab continues to show:

• eviction filings approaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels
• approximately 1.23 million filings recorded during 2025 in monitored jurisdictions
• an average filing rate of 8% of renter households
• some metropolitan areas recording eviction rates affecting one in four renters

Researchers emphasize that court filings represent only part of the problem.

Informal displacement—including rent increases, intimidation, lease non-renewals and harassment—forces millions more households to relocate without formal legal proceedings.

US Census surveys indicate that more than 14 million renters reported feeling pressured to move because of rising rents.

The Hidden Cost of Renting

High advertised rents increasingly tell only part of the story.

Investigations have uncovered more than 125 separate fee categories imposed by major apartment operators, including:

• administration fees
• technology charges
• package handling fees
• valet waste collection
• pest control fees
• mandatory service charges
• “lifestyle” fees

Consumer advocates argue these charges obscure the true cost of housing while making comparison shopping increasingly difficult.

Multiple legal challenges allege that some fee structures constitute deceptive pricing practices.

Common Forms of Exploitation

Housing advocates across multiple countries report recurring patterns of landlord misconduct.

These include:

Illegal or retaliatory evictions

Tenants who report unsafe conditions sometimes face eviction shortly afterwards.

No-fault evictions

Until recent reforms in several jurisdictions, landlords could terminate leases without alleging tenant misconduct, allowing properties to be re-let at substantially higher rents.

Excessive rent increases

Large rent hikes are frequently used as indirect eviction mechanisms.

Maintenance neglect

Numerous investigations document properties suffering from:

• mold
• structural deterioration
• pest infestations
• heating failures
• plumbing problems

while landlords continue collecting full rent.

Security deposit disputes

Tenants regularly report excessive deductions or delayed return of deposits.

Discrimination

Prospective tenants frequently face exclusion based on:

• receipt of government assistance
• family status
• disability
• immigration background
• inability to meet increasingly stringent income requirements

Corporate eviction strategies

Research suggests some large landlords rely on routine eviction filings as part of rent collection strategy rather than as a last resort.

Repeated filings generate legal costs for tenants while encouraging quicker payment or voluntary departure.

The Human Cost

Housing insecurity extends far beyond losing a home.

Researchers consistently associate eviction with:

• homelessness
• unemployment
• poorer physical health
• increased mental health problems
• educational disruption
• family separation
• long-term poverty

Communities experiencing high eviction rates also record greater neighborhood instability and declining social cohesion.

Who Is Most Vulnerable?

Evidence from multiple countries shows disproportionate impacts on:

• low-income renters
• single-parent households
• elderly tenants
• disabled individuals
• recent immigrants
• racial and ethnic minority communities
• women with dependent children

In the United States, Black renters remain significantly overrepresented in eviction filings relative to their share of the renter population.

Country Focus

United States

America’s affordable housing shortage continues to deepen.

Key indicators include:

• Nearly half of all renters are considered cost burdened.
• Extremely low-income households face a shortage of approximately 7.2 million affordable rental units.
• Only 35 affordable homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income households.

Studies also identify concentrations of “extractive landlords”—owners combining high eviction rates with repeated housing code violations.

United Kingdom

England’s Renters’ Rights Act, implemented in 2026, represents one of the country’s most significant tenant protection reforms in decades.

The legislation:

• abolishes “no-fault” evictions
• prohibits discrimination against benefit recipients and families with children
• limits rent increases to once annually
• bans rental bidding wars
• caps advance rent demands
• establishes a national landlord database
• creates an independent ombudsman for tenant complaints

The reforms aim to rebalance power between landlords and renters while improving accountability.

Germany

Germany has strengthened tenant protections through several major reforms.

Key measures include:

• extension of the national Mietpreisbremse (rent brake) through 2029
• expanded rights allowing tenants to reclaim excessive rent charges for up to 30 months
• tighter regulation of furnished apartment surcharges
• stronger restrictions on short-term tourist rentals
• broader protections against eviction when rent arrears are settled within statutory grace periods

However, Germany continues to face a severe housing supply deficit.

Residential completions are projected at approximately 185,000 homes during 2026, well below estimated demand.

France

Despite relatively strong tenant protections, France continues to experience rising housing tensions.

Housing organizations report:

• increasing eviction enforcement
• maintenance disputes
• rent-control violations
• worsening affordability
• growing conflict between landlords and tenants

Approximately 30,500 households reportedly experienced enforced evictions during 2025.

Canada

Research from Toronto highlights the growing influence of institutional investment firms within the rental market.

Studies suggest financial ownership has contributed to:

• higher eviction rates
• increased rent pressures
• declining affordability in lower-income communities

Ireland

Ireland remains one of Europe’s most severe housing markets.

Contributing factors include:

• limited housing supply
• rapid rent growth
• conversion of long-term rentals into short-term tourist accommodation

Emergency accommodation numbers continue to reach record levels.

Why Is This Happening?

Researchers identify several structural causes behind the global housing crisis:

• chronic underbuilding of affordable housing
• rising construction costs
• wage growth lagging behind rents
• speculative investment
• institutional ownership concentration
• weak tenant protections
• insufficient social housing
• high mortgage interest rates reducing home ownership

These forces increasingly push households into expensive and insecure private rental markets.

Policy Responses

Governments are experimenting with a range of solutions.

These include:

• just-cause eviction laws
• rent stabilization
• limits on annual rent increases
• landlord licensing systems
• public housing investment
• affordable housing construction
• eviction diversion programs
• stronger housing code enforcement
• restrictions on short-term rentals
• national landlord registries

The European Union is also advancing an Affordable Housing initiative designed to support member states in addressing affordability and supply challenges.

Conclusion

The global housing crisis is no longer solely about the availability of homes. It is increasingly a question of power, affordability, and accountability.

For millions of tenants, rising rents, insecure tenancies, and exploitative practices have transformed housing into a source of chronic instability. At the same time, policymakers in several countries are introducing stronger legal protections intended to rebalance landlord–tenant relationships.

Whether these reforms will be sufficient depends on addressing the underlying structural pressures: inadequate housing supply, financial speculation, and the widening gap between incomes and housing costs.

Without sustained action, housing experts warn that the number of households facing eviction, displacement, and housing insecurity will continue to grow, making access to stable housing one of the defining economic and social challenges of the coming decade.

AI TV INFO | Investigative Journalism

Sources: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat); Princeton University Eviction Lab; Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); OECD; European Commission; national housing ministries; Human Rights Watch; Amnesty International; peer-reviewed academic research on housing financialization and eviction practices.