Background: Limited research has examined how housing instability influences displacement among transient tenants, not in court records. We examined a) the relationship between housing instability and tenants who moved due to feeling pressure to move by the landlords (i.e. soft displacement) and those who felt pressure to move but did not (i.e. potential displacement) and b) the association between displacement and poor living conditions.

Methods: Tenants from Travis and Harris Counties were derived using machine learning techniques from neighborhoods with the highest risk of housing precarity. Tenants were then recruited through mailings to complete an online survey (March–July 2024). Housing Instability. Experiences with homelessness. Participants affirmatively responded to ever experiencing homelessness. Safety. 1-item on a 1=not at all safe to 5=extremely safe was used to describe perceptions of housing safety. Mobility. # of times a participant has moved from one home to another. Lease Violations. Affirmative responses to 3 mutually exclusive items: not paying the full amount of rent, missed any rent payments, and violated any part of lease not related to payment. Dependent Variable #1: Displacement. Through a series of survey items, participants were either categorized as having experienced soft displacement or potential displacement, as defined above. Dependent Variables #2: Poor Living Conditions. 8 mutually exclusive items describing housing problems (e.g., mold). A sequence of covariate-adjusted logistic regressions was conducted to 1) examine associations between housing instability and displacement and 2) examine the association between displacement and poor living conditions.

Results: Tenants (n=396) were on average 41 years old, primarily female (78%) and Black (50%). Tenants with greater housing mobility (AOR=2.12, 95%CI 1.50-2.98) and those who missed rent payments (AOR=1.82, 95%CI 1.71-1.94) were at greater risk for experiencing soft displacement. Tenants who experienced soft displacement were more likely to live in rental units with pest problems (AOR=1.55, 95%CI 1.51-1.58) and inactive smoke detectors (AOR=1.44, 95%CI 1.32-1.59). Tenants who experienced potential displacement were more likely to live in rental units with mold (AOR=1.19, 95%CI 1.02-1.40) and water leaks (AOR=1.25, 95%CI 1.03-1.53).

Conclusion: Programs designed to address tenants’ housing challenges and that hold owners accountable for rental conditions are needed.