Charlotte home renters in impossible jam: Too costly to stay; too expensive to leave.

When Nicolas Contreras, an organizer with Action NC, walked up a concrete driveway toward a home in Charlotte’s Hidden Valley neighborhood, he was unsure who would answer the door.

The nonprofit has worked as a part of Renters Rising — a coalition of tenant activists — to sign renters up for a national union. Contreras was in Hidden Valley to speak with tenants who rent homes from corporate landlords, to gauge their interest in joining this national union and inspire them to take action.

But no one answered at the first few homes Contreras knocked at — then they saw Elena Navarro walking into her house.

Canvassers on Tuesday visited Navarro’s home and another 32 homes out of the 450 that are owned by a corporate landlords in Hidden Valley. Across Charlotte, canvassers spent the day knocking on doors in many neighborhoods ahead of a Wednesday rally at Invitation Homes — a large corporate landlord — demanding rights for tenants.

The rally drew at least 75 people to Invitation Homes’ office on Harris Corners Parkway who gathered inside looking to speak with corporate leadership. When no one came to speak, the group moved outside the building and shared their stories.

Jessica Moreno, a housing justice organizer with Action NC, said the office was the new local base for the North Carolina Rental Home Council, a corporate landlord lobby.

The group’s demands include a 3% cap on rent increases, establishment of a grievance procedure, and to be formally recognized as a union.

“We’re losing the opportunity to own our homes where it has been historically possible to own a home,” Moreno said. “It’s forced tenancy.”

The Charlotte Observer reached out to Invitation Homes’ offices Wednesday and its vice president of operations Amanda Blackmon on Thursday. Blackmon, who also co-chairs the North Carolina Rental Home Council, did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

Last spring, David Howard, the executive director of the National Rental Home Council told The Observer that companies buying single family homes to convert them to rentals are meeting a market demand.

“Historically, let’s face it: when it comes to housing, there have been two options. You can buy a single-family home or you can rent an apartment,” Howard said. “What our member companies are doing are coming in and saying, ‘Look, you have a third option.’”

Back in Hidden Valley, Navarro shared she had to pay a $200 fine to the city because neighbors left their trash-bins in front of her home. When she reached out to her landlord for help, she didn’t get much of a response.

Contreras said corporate landlords being unresponsive or hands off with tenants’ issues was a common complaint — especially regarding maintenance. Large rent increases was another, he said.

“I think a lot of people in these situations feel forced to deal with it,” Contreras said. “Especially if they have no other options.”

Feeling trapped

In the span of a decade, many large companies have gone from owning few homes to being among the largest single-family landlords in North Carolina, according to “Security for Sale,” a Charlotte Observer and News & Observer investigation into the rise of corporate landlords. This includes companies such as Invitation Homes, Progress Residential and Tricon, the Observer previously reported.

Dolores Gomez, left, and Nicolas Contreras, canvassers with Action NC, go door to door of rental homes in the Hidden Valley community on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
Dolores Gomez, left, and Nicolas Contreras, canvassers with Action NC, go door to door of rental homes in the Hidden Valley community on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.

A lot of tenants want to own their homes but feel trapped, according to Moreno. When tenants want to move they are either forced to compete with corporations for housing or settle for continuing to rent. It has shielded families from building generational wealth, she said.

At the rally, Lathan Welker, a tenant with Invitation Homes, said over the last month he’s spoken with tenants who faced $500 rent increases. Others shared they had sewage issues and a lack of heat due to maintenance requests not being fulfilled, he said.

“This is unjust and it’s not fair,” Welker said. “These people are paying exorbitant prices to live in substandard conditions.”

North Carolina has been seen as ground zero for corporate landlords, said Katie Goldstein, director of housing and healthcare campaigns for the Center for Popular Democracy. Her organization oversees the Renters Rising campaign.

Goldstein said the reason the housing crisis exists was because of corporate greed. More than 30% of all homes in Charlotte over the last quarter of 2022 went to investors, WCNC first reported.

“There needs to be new, affordable housing,” she said. “But part of the crisis is the new affordable homes being built aren’t affordable to the communities that need it.”

Protestors with Action NC and Renters Rising hold a rally at Invitation Homes’ Charlotte office on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Invitation Homes is one of the largest national corporate landlords.
Protestors with Action NC and Renters Rising hold a rally at Invitation Homes’ Charlotte office on Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Invitation Homes is one of the largest national corporate landlords.