CLEVELAND — Home sweet home is a little sour for renters in Cleveland, according to WalletHub.
WalletHub said they compared 182 rental markets.
Analysts based their studyon 21 key measures in two categories, which were the rental market and affordability as well as quality of life.
“Cleveland ranked 181 out of 182 cities overall when we took into account all 21 metrics,” said Cassie Happe, WalletHub analyst.
In the rental market and affordability, analysts looked at the rental vacancy rate, rental affordability, and cost of living, among other categories. In the quality-of-life section, the quality of the public school system, driver friendliness, and the job market were among the criteria examined.
Happe said there are areas where Cleveland can improve.
“Specifically, the quality of the public school system. They were ranked 168 out of 182 on that so there is a lot of room for improvement there. And they ranked 167 overall for safety, so that’s another area that there’s room for improvement,” said Happe.
Angela Moore is a Realtor with the EZ Sales Team Keller Williams Citywide. “I’m actually surprised by that,” Moore said. “There are so many great pockets in Cleveland that are great areas to rent. And there are so many neighborhoods that are just fantastic areas to raise families."
Moore helps both home-buyers and renters find a place to call home.
“I don’t think it’s a bad place to rent but I think it is hard to find the rentals. That’s been the biggest challenge that I have seen,” said Moore.
Akron placed 178 on the list. Overland Park, Kansas, was number one. Detroit, Michigan, was last at 182.
“This study tried to take a more comprehensive look not just at that dollar amount for rental prices in the area but really the overall quality of location for renters taking into account the market affordability as well as the quality-of-life piece,” said Happe.
