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Housing Reports & Data
The City of Albany collects data and publishes reports on local housing issues, as well as the City's compliance with municipal and state housing law. On this page, one can find recent data and reporting on evictions, vacant buildings, and more.
Additional housing data for the City of Albany and the greater Capital Region is available at the following sites:
The City of Albany periodically analyzes eviction data. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City monitored eviction filings closely to ensure compliance with federal and state eviction moratoria.
In 2021, the City's Department of Neighborhood and Community services analyzed eviction data for the months of April through July. Key findings from this analysis include:
- In 2019, there were 4,120 evictions filed in Albany City Court, which impacted an estimated 8,400+ tenants (nearly 1 in 6 renter households)
- During Q2 of 2021, more than 50% of Albany eviction cases with identifiable addresses occurred in predominantly BIPOC neighborhoods.
- Non-payment of rent eviction filings represented approximately 62% of active eviction cases
- The majority of Albany eviction cases (>80%) are filed in multi-family housing units, such as duplexes, triplexes, or apartment buildings
- Nearly 70% of eviction actions with an identifiable address occurred in properties having at least one open code case since 2020
- Almost 44% of active eviction cases with identifiable addresses were missing a ROP
- Landlords with an active eviction case were nearly 5x more likely to have been involved in a past-year landlord-tenant dispute that warranted a police response.
- Only 3.3% of tenants had an attorney in court during Q2 of 2021 versus 94% of landlords
Learn more about eviction trends in the City of Albany in our 2022 report, "Evictions and Our Neighborhoods."
Evictions and Our Neighborhoods Data from 2016-2021 (PDF)
The City of Albany periodically analyzes data on vacant buildings and the various legal processes these buildings go through. City staff closely monitor changes in the inventory of vacant buildings and larger events that change how existing processes effect vacant buildings. This data and these insights are typically published in quarterly vacant building registry reports, copies of which can be found below.
Download Vacant Building Registry Reports
ETPA Vacancy Study Results
The NYS Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA) was amended in 2019 to allow upstate municipalities to declare a state of emergency for the purposes of stabilizing rents if the vacancy rate for eligible buildings is below 5%. The City of Albany’s Common Council directed the undertaking of a rental vacancy study (the Study) to determine the housing vacancy rate in eligible buildings, which include residential properties that were completed prior to January 1, 1974, and contain at least six (6) dwelling units. Per State Law, subsidized housing and buildings that underwent substantial rehabilitation or conversion to residential after 1974 were not considered to be eligible for the final calculation of the vacancy rate. This report delivers on that directive, and is a tool to assist the Common Council in making an informed decision as to whether it may declare a housing emergency pursuant to the NYS ETPA.
City of Albany Rental Vacancy Study Final Report - ETPA (PDF)
Housing Study (Non-ETPA)
A letter with a link to the City of Albany housing survey was sent to owners of residential rental property that are not eligible for the Vacancy Survey (any buildings with less than six or more units or built after 1974) the week of May 20th, 2024. The results of this survey will be used for informational purposes only to help the city get a more accurate picture of all available housing so that we can pursue resources to assist landlords and tenants. Click the link below to see the letter text and survey. For any questions, please email vacancystudy@albanyny.gov or call 518-694-4813. Analysis of this survey is still ongoing.
City of Albany Non-ETPA Housing Survey Letter (PDF)
An inclusionary zoning (IZ) ordinance has been in effect in the City of Albany since 2017. The ordinance is formally known as the Affordable Housing Ordinance (AHO) and can be found in Section § 375-4(A)(4)(b) of the Unified Sustainable Development Ordinance (USDO). The AHO is an amendment to the City's zoning code, which requires new residential developments to set aside a sliding percentage of affordable units relative to the development's total unit count.
The policy goals of the AHO are twofold: 1) increase the total number of affordable units in the city; and 2) create more integrated neighborhoods through the development of affordable housing where it might not otherwise be built.
Read more about the background of the AHO and its impact on affordable housing in our annual report. The report is available to read online or to download at the link below.
2024 Inclusionary Zoning Report (PDF)
2025 Inclusionary Zoning Report (PDF)
The City of Albany occasionally completes other reports, collects feedback from residents & stakeholders, and performs analysis on other issues relating to housing and neighborhood stabilization. Those reports can be found below: