L+M strengthens resident relationships with Esusu
L+M Development Partners, an affordable and market-rate housing developer and owner-operator, has continued to grow its best-in-class portfolio in New York City. Given L+M’s nearly 40-year track record of innovation, the Esusu team was excited to partner with L+M as they continue to execute their mission of developing quality affordable, mixed-income, and market-rate housing that enhances the neighborhood fabric of the many New York City communities where they work.
L+M recently launched its Workforce Housing Fund, and the leadership team quickly realized that residents were eager for ownership/management that was responsive to longstanding challenges at the properties. L+M established resident-first benefits and tenant-facing programming to build trust immediately. However, due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on L+M’s residential population, L+M began to see an increase in rental arrears across the portfolio.
L+M Workforce Housing Fund is a social impact real estate fund, and thus it was critical to find an innovative solution and quantify the program’s impact. To accomplish this goal, L+M partnered with Esusu and deployed their 0% interest Housing Stability Loans, Rent Reporting Services and Predictive Analytics to help their residents pay rent and strengthen relationships. Collaborating with Esusu, whose mission is to dismantle barriers to housing for working families, helped build community rapport and drive on-time payments. Through its partnership with Esusu, L+M’s residents participating in the program increased their credit scores by an average of 21 points and created 138 new credit scores among those previously unscorable. L+M also saw a 187% annual ROI on the amount of Housing Stability Loans deployed vs. Esusu’s program cost.
0% Housing Stability Loans
Esusu partners with philanthropic lenders like the Target Foundation, Acumen Fund, and Global Good Fund to provide 0% interest loans to residents during the pandemic. After a resident completes a two-minute application, loans are approved and money transferred to the tenant’s Property Manager within seven days.
In the past 12 months, L+M has seen a 187% ROI on loans deployed. In fact, this program alone has recouped the price of Esusu’s service almost twice over.
Rent reporting to the 3 major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion)
As a direct result of integrating Esusu’s rent reporting program, L+M’s average resident credit score increased 21 points to 728—in just one year. With Esusu Rent Mobile App, residents get free access to their credit scores. Simplicity and equity all-in-one.
Predictive analytics to mitigate portfolio and property risk
L+M has longstanding relationships with investors that support new property developments. As part of their ongoing reporting, they release monthly updates on each property’s financial health. Equipped with Esusu’s proprietary data analytics, L+M receives building stability grades that help identify, predict and address risk. According to TransUnion, tools such as rent reporting optimize resident financial health and translate to 25% higher on-time payments. This means 7 out of 10 residents are more likely to pay rent on time. Thanks to Esusu, 80% of L+M residents enrolled in the program have improved their credit score through on-time payments, which Esusu’s rent reporting platform incentivizes.
80%
80% of L+M residents have improved their credit score since using Esusu's Rent Reporting Service.
+138
New credit scores created for L+M residents whose credit scores did not previously exist.
187%
ROI based on the amount of Housing Stability Loans deployed vs. the cost of the Esusu platform.
+21pts
Average credit score increased by 21 points, to 728.