Landlords are powerful vectors of residential sorting, opening up or constraining access to stable housing, neighborhood choice, and social opportunity. Although previous research has explored how landlords’ behaviors shape housing outcomes, existing research has not investigated the tenant selection practices of accessory dwelling unit (ADU) property owners. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 25 ADU owner-occupiers on Long Island who rent out their units and found that ADU landlords exercised a high level of discretion when selecting tenants, some of which were rooted in race, ethnic, class, and gender-based biases. We further found that the legal status of an ADU can empower tenants and scramble typical power relations observed in landlord-tenant relationships. Furthermore, the legal status of a unit can empower neighbors to become powerful actors in tenant selection. Our research highlights how individual behaviors and the prevailing regulatory context interact to harden social inequalities in the rental market.
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