Take-Up Barriers in Rental Boucher Programs: Experimental Evidence from Chile

We develop an innovative Web Platform “Aprendo y Arriendo" (“Learn and Rent” ) to provide online counseling to rental voucher recipients.

We aim to reduce barriers that rental voucher recipients face in the private rental market to use their vouchers and move to neighborhoods with better characteristics.

We use "Aprendo y Arriendo" to send different types of information to support families throughout the housing search process and help them engage landlords that they find in the private rental market.

We take lessons from recent literature on assisted mobility programs to provide online yet customized support to rental voucher recipients.

Phase I: Reducing Demand side Barriers

In March 2022, a randomly assigned sample of 10,467 voucher recipients was assigned to a pure control group or to one of three treatment arms: T1, T2 and T3. T1 received information about the subsidy and the lease up process, a new communication channel with MINVU, and frequent reminders to encourage housing search. In addition to the assistance received by T1, T2 received a video explaining the benefits for children of growing up in better neighborhoods. T3 received all previous assistance and access to a Neighborhood Browser, where families can search an learn about the characteristics of any neighborhood in the country. The control group received the business-as-usual rental voucher.

We measure the effects of the online counseling program on residential mobility, housing and neighborhood characteristics, satisfaction and beliefs. Working paper coming soon.

Phase II: Reducing Supply side Barriers

We are working on a new counseling tool to add to “Aprendo y Arriendo”, the search log Your Landlord’s Notebook. We will give access to the search log to tenants througout theto add landlords contact information, as they find them in the private market. We will then send landlords different pieces of information to measure and reduce supply side barriers. More specifically, we are interested in reducing information acquisition costs and differentiating discrimination from additional transaction costs from renting to a rental voucher recipient. Further, we will explore what information can be effective to increase landlord's willingness to accept voucher holders. Fieldwork is expected to start by Spring 2023.

Who We Are

Javiera Selman – Economist, Universidad de Chile. Ph.D in Public Administration, New York University

Pablo Celhay - Economist, Universidad de Chile. Ph.D in Public Policy, University of Chicago

Álvaro Miranda – Economist, Universidad de Chile.

Bárbara Navarrete Antinao – Economist, Universidad de Chile

Vicente Juárez Barriga - Industrial Civil Engineer, Major in Computer, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile