Why It Matters
Idaho’s housing affordability pressures are no longer concentrated in a single region or income bracket. A newly released survey commissioned by U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo’s office shows that renters and homeowners across the state are being squeezed — by rising rents, steep upfront costs, property tax increases, and a limited supply of diverse housing types. The findings arrive as state legislative action has narrowed the tools available to local governments seeking to respond.
What Happened
Sen. Crapo’s office released survey results Thursday drawing on responses from more than 5,000 Idahoans gathered in 2025. The respondent pool skewed older, with the largest share falling in the 65-and-over age group. The survey covered renters, homeowners, and those receiving federal housing assistance, capturing a broad cross-section of housing experiences statewide.
Renters pointed most consistently to affordability barriers: high application fees, steep rent levels, and large upfront deposit requirements. Homeowners, by contrast, focused on climbing property taxes and insurance costs as their primary financial stressors. Sen. Crapo described the feedback as a guide for shaping policy, saying, “The input we received from Idahoans shapes ongoing solutions to address housing challenges facing the state and country.”
The survey also documented appetite for a wider range of housing options. Respondents from different parts of the state said they wanted more small homes, townhouses, duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and cooperative housing — reflecting frustration with a market dominated by single-family construction.
By the Numbers
The survey’s data on renter cost burden is striking. Among renters earning less than $4,000 per month, nearly 80% were spending more than 30% of their income on housing — the federal threshold that defines “cost burdened.” Even renters in the $4,000–$7,000 monthly income range were not insulated, with nearly 60% exceeding that same threshold.
Upfront costs were a persistent obstacle: nearly 90% of renters said moving costs were high, and 64% specifically cited application fees as a burden. Just 5% of total survey respondents reported using federal housing assistance such as Section 8 vouchers. On the homeownership side, about 45% of owner-occupants said property taxes were straining their monthly budgets.
One respondent captured the Section 8 barrier plainly, saying: “‘We don’t accept Section 8’ is the first thing I hear when I call about a listing.”
Zoom Out: State Policy Has Constrained Local Responses
Idaho cities have attempted to address some of these documented problems — but state-level action has rolled back several of those efforts. Boise passed a rental protections package in 2023 that included a $30 cap on application fees and prohibited landlords from rejecting tenants solely because they hold Section 8 vouchers. The Idaho Legislature reversed those measures in 2024, stripping cities of the authority to regulate landlord acceptance of housing vouchers or application fee amounts.
A 2025 attempt by Boise Sen. Ali Rabe to reinstate restrictions on rental applications cleared the state Senate but stalled in a House committee, leaving the issue unresolved. The pattern mirrors a broader national tension between state preemption laws and local housing policy — a conflict playing out in multiple states as housing costs climb. Nationally, homelessness figures have risen in several regions, while local governments report limited flexibility to respond.
Idaho’s legislative dynamics — including ongoing disputes over the scope of local authority — have added complexity to housing reform efforts. The Idaho Senate earlier voted down a measure that would have allowed removal of local officials for state law violations, a reminder of the charged relationship between state and municipal governments in the state.
What’s Next
Sen. Crapo’s office has not announced specific federal legislation tied to the survey, but the findings are expected to inform ongoing discussions at both the state and federal level. Local housing advocates and municipal officials will likely point to the survey’s data when pressing for restored regulatory authority in future legislative sessions. With Idaho’s population continuing to grow and housing supply constrained, pressure on lawmakers at both levels of government is unlikely to ease soon.