Abstract





The present study aimed to investigate the phenomenon of rental housing among middle-aged individuals. A qualitative research design grounded in the Grounded Theory methodology was employed to develop an in-depth understanding of the lived experience of renting. The study was conducted in Kerman, Iran, and participants were selected from middle-aged tenants residing in the city through purposive and theoretical sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 31 participants, including 16 men and 15 women. To enhance the trustworthiness of the findings, member checking, external auditing, and constant comparative analysis were employed.


The final analysis resulted in the emergence of ten major categories and twenty-one subcategories: escalating economic crisis, perceived disorder in housing policymaking, life revolving around money, real estate agents as property pharaohs, suspended sense of belonging, inheritance as the only pathway out of tenancy, relocation anxiety, gradual downward social mobility, the moral constraints of everyday life, and threats to family existence. Ultimately, the core category, “Rental Housing as a Disruption of Life,” was identified.


The findings indicate that rental housing is associated with persistent relocation anxiety, economic strain, and a diminished sense of belonging among middle-aged tenants. These experiences generate crises across the economic, psychological, and social domains of their lives while simultaneously reinforcing and reproducing cycles of social inequality.