Regulations keep 31.8 million U.S. bedrooms empty during a housing crisis

Zoning laws, occupancy limits, and short-term rental restrictions are keeping housing off the market and driving up costs - Howard

The U.S. is facing a housing affordability crisis, and new data from Realtor.com highlight an often missed contributing factor: millions of empty bedrooms. 

Census data reveal 31.8 million "excess" bedrooms in American homes—compared to just 4 million in 1970. 

Overregulation, particularly in zoning and local occupancy laws, is among the culprits...
But even if homeowners would like to make use of those "guest" rooms, they can run afoul of local laws. 

Research I conducted for the American Enterprise Institute found that in 23 of the 30 largest U.S. cities, there are laws that limit occupants deemed "unrelated," defining a "family" only as a group whose members are related by blood, marriage, or adoption. 

• In St. Louis, no more than three unrelated persons may live together.
• In Sugar Land, Texas, the limit is four. 
• Private homeowner associations may be even more strict. In the Chase Oaks Homeowners Association in Plano, Texas, a "household" can comprise no more than two unrelated persons, though there is an exception for live-in employees...