The Fight to Save Affordable Housing

Rent Burdened

A documentary film produced by The Small Multifamily Institute, the nonprofit sister organization of the Small Multifamily Owners Association (SMOA)

Affordable Housing Is Disappearing — and the Story Being Told Is Incomplete

Across Washington, D.C. and cities nationwide, affordable housing is being lost faster than it can be replaced.
Tenants are stretched beyond their limits. Small rental property owners are operating without margin. And naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) is quietly disappearing.

The public debate is loud. The reality on the ground is far more complicated.

Rent Burdened exists to tell the part of the housing story that is rarely shown: what happens when policy, economics, and human lives collide and the people in the middle have no easy way out.

About the Film

Rent Burdened: The Fight to Save Affordable Housing is a feature-length documentary examining how housing policy, rising operating costs, and regulatory pressure are reshaping rental housing , often with unintended and permanent consequences.

The film focuses on the segment of the housing market that does the most work and receives the least attention:
small multifamily rental housing.

Through firsthand accounts from tenants, small housing providers, advocates, and policy experts, the film explores:

Why small rental owners are leaving the market
How NOAH is being lost without meaningful replacement
What displacement actually looks like for real people
Why affordability cannot survive without economic sustainability

This is not a film about blame.
It is a film about pressure and what happens when systems ignore it.

Why This Film Matters Now

Small multifamily buildings have provided affordable housing for generations without subsidies or institutional ownership.

Once these buildings are sold, redeveloped, or converted, they are gone for good. Decisions being made right now — by lawmakers, regulators, and courts that will determine whether this housing stock survives at all.

Rent Burdened is designed to inform those decisions with clarity, evidence, and lived experience before the opportunity is lost.

Watch the Trailer

This short reel offers a preview of the film’s access, tone, and urgency.

Help Finish Rent Burdened

Rent Burdened is produced by The Small Multifamily Institute, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the sister organization of SMOA.

🎁 All donations are 100% tax-deductible.

Support at this stage directly funds:

Final editing and post-production
Legal and factual review
Impact distribution and educational screenings
Making the film available to policymakers, advocates, and the public

The film is scheduled for completion the Summer of 2026.
Support is needed now to finish strong and release the film

Make a Tax-Deductible Donation

Every contribution — large or small — helps ensure this story is told accurately, responsibly, and without distortion.

Donate to Support the Film

Who This Film Is For

Renters concerned about displacement and housing stability
Small rental property owners facing increasing pressure
Policymakers seeking real-world insight beyond talking points
Journalists, researchers, and educators
Anyone who believes affordable housing must be sustainable to endure

About the Producer

The Small Multifamily Institute is the nonprofit sister organization of the Small Multifamily Owners Association (SMOA).

While SMOA focuses on supporting and advocating for small rental property owners, the Institute is dedicated to research, education, and public-interest storytelling that advances a more honest and complete housing conversation.

Rent Burdened is produced as part of that mission, drawing on years of on-the-ground experience, research, and firsthand accounts from across the housing ecosystem.

Stay Informed

Want updates, screening invitations, or early access to the completed film?