Renting costs for housing in our country are becoming increasingly significant, particularly for lower-income segments, which are now being joined by a growing number of middle-income families. This is just one consequence of a broader problem: the housing shortage.

In the report presented, elements are provided to evaluate the effects of the new rental law in general, and on UNR students in particular.

The housing deficit is not a problem unique to our country. Worldwide, population growth and housing needs in general are not keeping pace with urban development and the construction of new buildings. However, the difficulties in accessing decent housing are greater in the poorest and least developed countries, and constitute a critical structural problem that is growing in all Latin American countries.

In Argentina , the housing crisis is a constant that seems to be accelerating in recent times. The new rental regulations that came into effect in June 2020, broadly speaking, impose more risks and restrictions on landlords and encourage them to formalize their operations. Meanwhile, the mechanisms for balancing risk-taking in the sector are not yet fully regulated.

This last point appears to correlate with the movement of housing rental prices . Industry data indicates that a sustained price increase began in October 2020, four months after the new rental law was passed . While causality cannot be established, there is a strong correlation between the law's approval and the increase in rental prices, subject to a lag period typically associated with the drafting of new contracts.

On the other hand, when the problem is approached from a theoretical standpoint, it must be emphasized that—at the very least—there is no contradiction between what is proposed in the theory and what is observed in the behavior of the real estate market. In other words, for the moment, everything tells the same story: in the current context, the new rental law favors a reduction in the supply of units, as well as the formation of expectations of higher prices.

What is the perception of UNR students regarding this issue, as of May-June 2021? The study conducted indicates that the student cohorts surveyed have not yet felt the full impact of the new rental law.

The reason is obvious, the majority of those who were already studying maintain contracts signed under the old rental regulations. On the other hand, it is feasible to assume that the new cohorts of students have not carried out all the housing searches, conditional on the virtual modality of teaching classes that was the majority during 2021.

Even so, the information gathered allows us to conjecture that:

• Households that cover their children's college education expenses have enough resources to support at least one family member living alone in some type of housing, holding everything else constant (for example, price level).
• There are elements to affirm that the decision to rent by the UNR student community is sensitive to variations in the entry barriers to the real estate market. Typically, proprietary guarantees or cash deposits.
• Even though they can keep family members dedicated to university studies, an important part of families seek to reduce costs related to the preparation and monitoring of rental contracts. Which is an indication of the budget limits families face when renting.
• There is an expectation that significant changes in rent prices (increases) may be a risk factor when deciding whether or not to continue university studies by students.

Clearly, a study on the actual impact of the new rental law on the UNR student community requires a broader perspective and successive measurements on the same topic. Even so, the contribution of this work lies in describing a scenario that warrants attention, especially since rental prices are a key factor in the decision to continue studies for a significant portion of the UNR academic community.

An unintended but welcome aspect of this study is that it offers some insights into post-pandemic teaching methods. In addition to the general context of the Argentine economy and the introduction of new rental regulations, the teaching formats adopted in the future (in-person, online, or hybrid) represent a novel factor regarding the expectations for continued studies among some student groups, as well as the possibility of enrolling new students.

The analysis presented in the report accompanying this post is much more comprehensive than what has been discussed so far. The first part provides context for the responses of UNR students regarding their rental situation and strategies. It includes an overview of the rental market, the population data available in public statistics on tenants, the factors considered when appraising a property, and a summary of the differences between the old and new rental laws.

The second section discusses the information collected in the survey conducted with UNR students. The third part presents a group of generic proposals that can be used as a partial solution to the housing problems of UNR students. The document closes with a conclusion section.