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Renters are more likely than homeowners to feel disconnected from their neighbors, according to a Redfin-commissioned survey of 894 renters and 805 homeowners aged 18 to 65.
Less than half of U.S. renters (46.7 percent) said they feel a sense of community in their neighborhoods — 36 percent fewer 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 counterparts who own a home (58.5 percent).
Daryl Fairweather
Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said the survey results aren’t surprising as renters tend to be more transient than homeowners. Fewer than half of survey respondents who’ve lived in their neighborhood for less than a year said they feel connected to their neighbors (47.6 percent). That number ballooned to 58.1 percent for respondents who’ve lived in their neighborhood for six to 10 years.
“When someone buys a home, they’re making an investment in a property and a neighborhood, which means they’ll probably see their neighbors for years to come. Many homeowners seek out positive relationships with their neighbors as a result,” she said in a written statement. “Renters, on the other hand, tend to stay in their homes for a shorter amount of time, which means they’re often less inclined to get to know the neighbors.”
There’s also a generational trend, Redfin said, 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 said they feel a sense of belonging in their neighborhood, compared to 61.1 percent of Gen Xers and 59.3 percent of baby boomers. On the renter side, boomers had the biggest sense of belonging (52.5 percent) followed by Gen-Xers (47.5 percent), and millennials and Gen-Zers (44.4 percent).
“Young homeowners probably feel more connected to their communities because they recently chose to live there, whereas older homeowners may be unhappy with how the neighborhood has changed since they first bought decades ago,” Fairweather said.
