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

• DC Voucher Payment Standards and the FY2027 Small Area FMRs (September 2026). Washington's metro rent benchmark rises 8.5% on October 1; HUD's ZIP-level Small Area FMRs inside the District run from $1,640 to $3,660 for a two-bedroom; and DCHA's proposed switch from a citywide 187%-of-FMR payment standard to about 168% of each ZIP's figure, computed ZIP by ZIP, with a downloadable table.
• The Maximum Legal Move-In Cost in Every State (2026) (September 2026). Twenty-nine states cap security deposits; priced at HUD's FY2027 rent benchmark, the legal maximum for first month plus deposit runs from $2,204 to $6,688 — and 21 states set no ceiling at all. Every state cited, with a downloadable table.
• FY2027 Fair Market Rents: Where HUD's Rent Benchmark Rose and Fell (September 2026). HUD's new county-level rent benchmarks, analyzed the day they published: 37 states rose, 13 fell, 40 local areas hit the 10% annual decline floor, with state rankings, the biggest county swings, and a downloadable table.
• The Eight Federal Tenant Protections in Manufactured Housing Communities: What State Law Requires (2026) (August 2026). Which of the eight FHFA 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: one state now requires all eight, thirteen require none, with a downloadable 50-state table.
• Where Cities Can Set Rent Limits: The 50-State Rent Control Preemption Map (2026) (August 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 and a downloadable 50-state table.
• How Accurate Are the Big Landlord-Tenant Law Sites? A Four-State Review (August 2026). 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 reflect those changes. None did.