Which pair of factors does Desmond identify as contributing to high eviction rates?

• A. Landlords force out tenants they don't want, and the high cost of housing
• B. Rent control policies and tenant organizing
• C. Suburban sprawl and energy costs
• D. Student loan debt and unemployment

Answer: (A)

Eviction rates rise when two forces come together: landlords’ incentives to remove tenants and the overall unaffordability of housing. Desmond shows that some landlords push tenants out not because of personal failings, but because evicting can be a way to recapture value—making room for new tenants who can pay higher rents or secure a better financial return. When the cost of housing is high, households with limited resources struggle to keep up with rent, making them more vulnerable to eviction even if they aren’t chronically late. This combination—landlords actively removing tenants and housing costs being steep—drives eviction rates up.

The other options don’t capture this specific dynamic. Rent control and tenant organizing tend to stabilize housing and reduce evictions; suburban sprawl and energy costs are broader affordability concerns but not the particular landlord-driven, cost-pressured mechanism highlighted; and while student loan debt and unemployment create financial strain, they’re not the paired factors Desmond emphasizes as the direct drivers of high eviction rates.