Advantage, (only some) renters
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THE ARTICLE “Advantage, renters: Landlords offer deals as rising vacancy rates depress prices’’ (Page A1, June 19) depicts an inexact picture of the Greater Boston rental market. Renters with high incomes and an ability to afford luxury rentals make up a small portion of the market. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the median renter household income in Greater Boston is $47,000 a year. That typical renter would need to dedicate 49 percent of his or her income for rent for a $2,000-per-month apartment, leaving just over half of his or her paycheck for taxes, healthcare, food, transportation, and other costs.
Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for Rent demonstrates that Boston area rents continue to rise, even after years of steep gains. For a Boston-area renter with a median or low income struggling to afford the high cost of housing in Massachusetts, a landlord’s dropping a $525 “amenities fee’’ for a $1,995-a-month one bedroom is little comfort.
The need for additional affordable housing remains clear.
Sean Caron
Medford
The writer is director of public policy at Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association. 
