@article{1ddd88922d094614837bfb250de7ab26,
title = "Inaccuracies in Eviction Records: Implications for Renters and Researchers",
abstract = "Administrative court records are increasingly used to study the prevalence of eviction. Yet inaccuracies in court records bias estimates of eviction and distort tenants{\textquoteright} true rental histories. This is the first study to systematically assess the prevalence of inaccuracies across jurisdictions. Drawing on over 3.6 million administrative eviction court records from 12 states, we find that, on average, 22% of eviction records contain ambiguous information on how the case was resolved or falsely represent a tenant{\textquoteright}s eviction history. Adjusting for multiple inaccuracies in the data produces significantly different eviction rate estimates. Cases with increased complexity, such as those involving multiple tenants and lawyers, are more likely to contain inaccuracies. However, inaccuracies vary most prominently between states, indicating that state court system characteristics fundamentally shape the official record of the evicted population.",
keywords = "administrative data, court records, eviction, housing policy",
author = "Adam Porton and Ashley Gromis and Matthew Desmond",
note = "Funding Information: The authors wish to thank Chase Hommeyer for her capable research assistance as well as members of the Princeton University Eviction Lab for their insightful comments on earlier drafts of the article. This publication was funded by the JPB, Gates, and Ford Foundations as well as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Research reported in this publication was also supported in part by The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P2CHD047879. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Funding Information: This work was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation [AWD1006387]; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health [P2CHD047879]; the Ford Foundation [128606;130007]; the JPB Foundation [GR-887]; and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The authors wish to thank Chase Hommeyer for her capable research assistance as well as members of the Princeton University Eviction Lab for their insightful comments on earlier drafts of the article. This publication was funded by the JPB, Gates, and Ford Foundations as well as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Research reported in this publication was also supported in part by The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P2CHD047879. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.",
year = "2021",
doi = "10.1080/10511482.2020.1748084",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "31",
pages = "377--394",
journal = "Housing Policy Debate",
issn = "1051-1482",
publisher = "Taylor Graham Publishing",
number = "3-5",
}