U.S. Census Bureau
 American Housing Survey (AHS)




American Housing Survey for the United States: 2003


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American Housing Survey 2003
Table 4-7. Additional Indicators of Housing Quality--Renter Occupied Units
Numbers in thousands. Weighting consistent with the 2000 Census.

Housing unit characteristics
Physical problems
Household characteristics
In MSAs
Urban
Rural
Regions
Total
occupied
units		 New con-
struction
4 years		 Manu-
factured/
mobile
homes		 Severe Moderate Black alone Hispanic Elderly
(65 years
and over)		 Moved in
past year		 Below
poverty
level		 Total
occupied
units		 Central
cities		 Suburbs Outside
MSAs		 Total Outside
MSAs		 Total Suburbs Outside
MSAs		 Northeast Midwest South West

Total		 33604 1018 1340 1038 2525 6811 5931 4277 11633 7902 33604 14599 14041 4965 29061 2643 4543 2154 2323 7169 6599 11446 8390

Selected Amenities@1

Porch, deck, balcony, or patio		 23541 805 1094 620 1681 4540 3865 2645 8514 5116 23541 9052 10735 3754 19894 1944 3647 1791 1810 3294 4626 9272 6349
Telephone available 32272 906 1262 968 2409 6486 5684 4153 11063 7486 32272 13990 13505 4777 27921 2532 4352 2052 2245 6872 6347 10998 8056
Usable fireplace 3865 160 92 74 218 541 546 293 1526 522 3865 1381 2093 391 3250 142 615 352 249 275 456 1527 1607
Separate dining room 9373 245 233 285 673 2030 1530 899 3022 1865 9373 4092 4020 1262 8101 605 1272 603 656 2115 1920 3365 1974
With 2 or more living rooms or
recreation rooms, etc.		 2106 70 63 64 126 344 195 209 647 328 2106 701 973 431 1603 170 502 231 262 341 406 837 522
Garage or carport included with home 10587 378 231 276 570 1293 1875 1261 3581 1724 10587 4020 5037 1530 9037 759 1550 764 771 1031 2186 2584 4786
Not included 22955 640 1106 761 1950 5497 4048 3000 8040 6176 22955 10543 8978 3433 19970 1881 2984 1382 1552 6102 4407 8851 3595
Off-street parking included 18045 595 1041 471 1482 4043 2969 2265 6765 4731 18045 6876 8066 3102 15263 1678 2781 1307 1424 3415 3571 8042 3016
Off-street parking not reported 37 0 0 0 5 13 3 8 11 8 37 29 8 0 37 0 0 0 0 27 2 0 7
Garage or carport not reported 63 0 2 1 5 22 8 16 12 2 63 35 26 2 54 2 9 9 0 36 6 11 10

Cars and Trucks Available@1

No cars, trucks, or vans		 6673 93 171 346 642 2083 1304 1882 1800 2996 6673 4059 1899 716 6218 454 456 190 262 2686 1156 1733 1098
Other households without cars 3763 105 248 92 268 445 860 231 1361 758 3763 1447 1581 736 3043 358 721 336 378 452 702 1516 1094
1 car with or without trucks or vans 16923 558 686 457 1242 3443 2688 1893 6075 3434 16923 6759 7525 2639 14490 1390 2433 1144 1249 3052 3476 6025 4370
2 cars 5294 230 183 115 316 705 905 229 2076 608 5294 1972 2607 716 4515 363 779 411 353 848 1083 1881 1482
3 or more cars 950 33 52 28 57 136 174 42 322 106 950 363 429 159 796 78 154 74 81 131 182 290 347
With cars, no trucks or vans 17480 627 552 461 1199 3562 2669 1870 6471 3428 17480 7187 7951 2342 15365 1342 2115 1084 1000 3283 3691 6065 4441
1 truck or van with or without cars 7440 249 470 196 548 943 1534 390 2708 1216 7440 2663 3305 1472 6007 692 1433 628 780 937 1352 2969 2181
2 or more trucks or vans 2011 48 146 36 137 223 424 136 655 262 2011 689 886 435 1472 155 539 251 280 263 400 678 670

Owner or Manager on Property

Rental, multiunit@8		 21561 688 0 721 1745 4685 3995 2997 7630 5162 21561 10822 8680 2059 20283 1484 1277 664 575 5604 4261 6343 5353
Owner or manager lives on property 8173 234 0 260 616 1462 1628 1107 2968 1739 8173 3919 3687 567 7776 428 397 244 139 1575 1356 2316 2926
Neither owner nor manager lives
on property		 13387 454 0 461 1129 3223 2368 1891 4662 3422 13387 6903 4993 1492 12507 1056 880 420 436 4029 2905 4027 2427

Selected Deficiencies@1

Signs of rats in last 3 months		 420 5 31 65 114 125 154 38 77 147 420 251 121 48 372 21 48 21 27 128 21 181 90
Signs of mice in last 3 months 2440 20 117 127 402 727 587 193 597 793 2440 1331 732 376 1996 156 444 223 221 918 387 737 398
Signs of rodents, not sure which kind
in last 3 months		 159 0 7 9 41 46 47 15 57 53 159 73 63 23 139 6 19 3 16 22 21 63 53
Holes in floors 558 5 52 88 255 163 138 36 132 216 558 317 173 69 497 35 62 25 34 155 93 216 95
Open cracks or holes (interior) 2566 22 112 234 797 739 465 168 744 764 2566 1240 874 452 2215 250 351 132 202 671 486 859 550
Broken plaster or peeling paint
(interior)		 1242 0 35 146 508 355 269 81 324 430 1242 694 357 191 1093 108 149 65 84 361 202 438 241
No electrical wiring 29 0 2 14 0 0 11 10 12 12 29 10 19 0 19 0 10 10 0 5 6 15 3
Exposed wiring 253 8 13 29 43 39 42 17 107 83 253 103 113 37 224 23 29 14 15 71 47 88 47
Rooms without electric outlets 649 15 32 50 113 147 123 46 268 215 649 278 267 104 553 55 96 47 49 148 106 243 153

Water Leakage During Last 12 Months

No leakage from inside structure		 29450 943 1169 792 1824 5785 5260 3980 10302 6853 29450 12626 12410 4414 25353 2323 4097 1942 2091 6193 5801 10052 7405
With leakage from inside structure@1 3652 62 151 237 651 894 612 255 1177 921 3652 1742 1414 496 3249 280 403 185 216 799 719 1249 884
Fixtures backed up or overflowed 1214 23 52 80 213 287 229 81 427 303 1214 567 494 154 1056 71 158 75 82 225 264 422 304
Pipes leaked 1790 21 100 118 374 453 303 109 541 497 1790 870 659 261 1611 146 179 64 115 443 340 568 438
Broken water heater 254 3 16 26 44 58 37 17 81 67 254 113 96 45 221 29 33 17 16 40 55 93 65
Other or unknown
(includes not reported)		 769 23 8 63 120 206 112 66 242 166 769 393 312 63 703 47 65 46 17 192 129 288 160
Interior leakage not reported 502 12 20 10 51 132 60 42 154 128 502 231 217 55 459 39 43 28 16 177 80 144 102

No leakage from outside structure		 30025 962 1131 840 1818 5988 5375 4039 10540 7026 30025 13037 12595 4393 26052 2352 3973 1883 2041 6227 5886 10206 7706
With leakage from outside structure@1 3081 41 191 188 659 691 492 197 944 748 3081 1326 1237 517 2554 251 527 244 266 767 631 1101 582
Roof 1643 17 152 126 402 410 281 105 424 445 1643 746 624 272 1339 129 303 148 143 382 242 665 353
Basement 553 0 0 27 82 106 24 36 165 105 553 187 227 139 419 69 134 64 70 201 249 77 26
Walls, closed windows, or doors 817 10 54 59 195 191 167 44 276 227 817 393 324 100 713 50 104 52 50 213 146 298 160
Other or unknown
(includes not reported)		 487 14 21 26 128 89 101 20 203 114 487 213 210 64 421 37 66 37 26 96 82 204 104
Exterior leakage not reported 499 15 17 10 49 132 64 41 148 129 499 236 208 55 455 39 43 28 16 175 82 139 102

Overall Opinion of Structure

1 (worst)		 311 0 29 39 102 109 71 31 97 162 311 150 109 51 267 28 43 20 23 68 62 104 76
2 291 0 29 27 54 85 57 11 123 97 291 127 113 51 259 34 33 16 17 53 67 109 62
3 531 10 28 66 102 144 86 22 182 170 531 270 195 67 478 41 54 28 26 98 103 208 124
4 708 10 32 35 118 164 139 43 262 229 708 333 275 99 618 52 90 40 47 137 125 277 168
5 3217 39 197 126 402 703 665 259 1054 812 3217 1519 1182 516 2771 274 447 200 242 690 611 1039 878
6 2827 55 104 105 237 614 508 196 1048 569 2827 1364 1079 383 2473 176 354 134 207 585 538 975 729
7 5930 146 200 173 368 1095 948 414 2305 1097 5930 2612 2564 754 5224 423 706 370 331 1165 1209 1914 1641
8 8670 288 249 203 505 1601 1445 1002 3076 1773 8670 3728 3734 1208 7561 669 1109 558 539 1815 1680 2922 2253
9 3682 179 166 80 208 646 676 562 1171 657 3682 1504 1600 578 3100 297 582 289 281 771 732 1258 921
10 (best) 6018 260 266 156 339 1257 1133 1526 1926 1888 6018 2337 2589 1092 5045 563 973 428 529 1368 1239 2155 1257
Not reported 1420 30 40 28 90 395 202 212 389 450 1420 655 600 164 1267 85 153 71 80 419 233 485 282

Selected Physical Problems

Severe physical problems@1		 1038 3 43 1038 0 264 246 142 246 325 1038 575 360 104 932 51 107 48 53 325 137 315 261
Plumbing 664 3 33 664 0 152 130 119 180 218 664 332 261 71 583 32 82 40 39 174 90 238 163
Heating 312 0 7 312 0 96 91 13 53 76 312 208 84 20 299 13 13 3 7 143 34 55 79
Electric 31 0 3 31 0 1 9 10 5 11 31 9 17 5 19 3 12 10 2 4 9 8 10
Upkeep 63 0 0 63 0 19 25 8 10 31 63 40 16 7 54 0 10 2 7 17 7 24 15
Hallways 7 0 0 7 0 1 0 0 4 5 7 1 3 3 7 3 0 0 0 1 4 2 0

Moderate physical problems@1		 2525 33 93 0 2525 725 460 252 889 746 2525 1196 867 463 2199 275 327 139 188 504 417 1069 537
Plumbing 146 0 6 0 146 43 30 7 45 47 146 75 48 23 128 11 18 7 12 29 19 71 26
Heating 489 0 33 0 489 201 94 78 165 185 489 173 103 213 339 112 149 49 100 12 14 435 28
Upkeep 738 0 39 0 738 239 139 39 218 249 738 406 218 114 658 77 80 42 37 227 104 283 124
Hallways 141 4 0 0 141 47 44 11 48 48 141 78 45 18 134 15 7 4 2 56 38 24 24
Kitchen 1149 29 14 0 1149 266 189 126 450 277 1149 550 486 113 1067 75 81 43 38 223 255 327 344


Renter Maintenance Quality

Major repairs needed@17		 25099 656 929 773 1729 5160 4442 3444 7567 5867 25099 10933 10512 3653 21809 1940 3290 1519 1713 5608 4994 8427 6069
Work usually started quickly 21621 596 794 581 1225 4169 3679 3223 6524 4888 21621 9193 9233 3195 18683 1665 2938 1354 1531 4765 4386 7288 5182
Management solved problem quickly 22709 611 841 646 1363 4547 3863 3270 6822 5246 22709 9687 9668 3353 19638 1764 3070 1430 1590 5005 4611 7613 5480
Management polite and considerate 24471 644 913 745 1658 5006 4298 3401 7423 5695 24471 10614 10289 3569 21238 1888 3233 1497 1681 5459 4877 8229 5907

Minor repairs needed@17		 26268 735 930 794 1779 5355 4569 3627 8108 6064 26268 11431 11079 3757 22842 1968 3426 1576 1789 5775 5222 8756 6516
Started quickly enough usually 23095 666 825 630 1351 4501 3857 3424 7131 5214 23095 9843 9888 3364 19980 1751 3115 1444 1614 5026 4653 7741 5676
Solved the problem quickly 24252 683 854 695 1496 4846 4064 3480 7414 5545 24252 10401 10325 3527 21005 1840 3247 1502 1687 5303 4857 8123 5968
Polite 25738 715 918 765 1708 5211 4459 3589 7940 5915 25738 11141 10892 3705 22355 1937 3383 1555 1768 5631 5115 8589 6403

Building and Ground Maintenance

Building Maintenance Quality
Completely satisfied		 23302 813 912 531 1277 4166 4015 3391 8273 5181 23302 9671 10041 3589 19993 1895 3308 1569 1694 4810 4646 7942 5905
Partly satisfied 6432 148 207 263 605 1604 1221 546 2200 1579 6432 3145 2497 790 5804 470 627 289 319 1422 1236 2121 1652
Dissatisfied 2165 17 60 196 490 653 463 132 622 691 2165 1129 789 247 1950 145 215 112 103 528 400 740 497
Landlord not responsible 750 20 132 24 70 145 95 98 188 175 750 187 323 240 444 64 306 130 176 86 154 379 131
Not reported 956 20 28 24 84 243 138 109 351 276 956 466 391 99 870 69 87 54 31 323 164 265 205
Ground Maintenance Quality
Completely satisfied		 22588 747 772 581 1381 4150 3926 3377 7886 5085 22588 9594 9773 3221 19646 1721 2942 1389 1500 4871 4597 7527 5592
Partly satisfied 5084 124 120 198 477 1308 1051 428 1694 1271 5084 2544 1987 553 4676 347 408 197 206 1250 888 1549 1398
Dissatisfied 1861 48 41 148 329 578 393 118 631 610 1861 991 694 176 1706 116 156 92 61 425 338 637 462
Landlord not responsible 3166 74 379 85 253 550 431 246 1113 674 3166 1025 1222 919 2206 393 961 428 526 303 622 1490 751
Not reported 904 25 29 25 85 225 131 109 308 262 904 444 365 95 827 66 77 48 29 319 155 242 188
Building and Ground Maintenance Quality
Completely satisfied with both		 20087 687 687 469 1093 3555 3539 3141 7018 4534 20087 8438 8733 2916 17421 1549 2666 1254 1367 4312 4038 6680 5057
Completely dissatisfied with both 1149 9 25 119 249 371 278 76 317 420 1149 608 438 103 1049 63 100 60 40 300 199 382 267
@1Figures may not add to total because more than one category may apply to a unit.
@1Figures may not add to total because more than one category may apply to a unit.
@8Two or more units of any tenure in the structure.
@1Figures may not add to total because more than one category may apply to a unit.
@1Figures may not add to total because more than one category may apply to a unit.
@1Figures may not add to total because more than one category may apply to a unit.
@17When landlord responsible for repairs and when at least 1 condition answered.


Go to American Housing Survey for the United States: 2003

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division
Last Revised: May 27, 2005