Editorial Standards
These standards describe how we research, write, check and correct what we publish. They apply to every article, lesson, glossary entry and tool on Housing Unpacked, and to every author who writes for us. If we fall short of them, we want to hear about it; see the Corrections Policy.
Accuracy
We publish what we believe to be true, and we check it before publishing. Factual statements about laws, programs, financial instruments and development practice are verified against primary documents where they exist. Arithmetic is checked. When we are uncertain, we say so in the text rather than resolving the uncertainty in whichever direction makes a better story.
Evidence
Claims that depend on outside evidence cite that evidence. Sources are listed at the end of each article with the publisher and, where available, a link and a date. We prefer primary sources (statutes, ordinances, agency reports, filings, published research) to secondary reporting about them. We do not cite a document we have not read.
When a claim rests on the author’s professional experience rather than a document, we say that explicitly. Experience is a legitimate source of insight about how development works; it is not a substitute for data about how often something happens.
Assumptions are stated
Every modeled figure we publish is accompanied by the assumptions that produced it. An article that says a requirement adds a certain amount to monthly rent will show the capital cost assumed, the number of units, the financing terms and the return assumptions, and the arithmetic that connects them. The shared model behind these figures is described on the Methodology page. Readers who disagree with an assumption can change it and see what happens; that is the point of stating it.
Illustrative versus actual figures
We label numbers by what they are. An illustrative figure is an input we have assumed in order to demonstrate a mechanism; it is chosen to be reasonable and round, not measured. A modeled figure is the arithmetic result of illustrative or stated inputs. An actual figure is an observed value from a source we cite. We do not present illustrative or modeled figures as if they were observed, and we do not describe an assumed input as “typical” or “average” unless we cite a source for that characterization.
No advocacy
Housing Unpacked does not endorse policies, candidates, parties, projects or companies. We describe how rules and markets work and what they cost, and we identify the tradeoffs, so that readers can reach their own conclusions. Authors may have views; those views do not belong in the analysis, and where an author’s judgment shapes a conclusion, the text says so.
Corrections
When we publish an error of fact or arithmetic, we correct it in the article, note the correction at the point of the change and in a correction notice on the article, and update the article’s revised date. We do not silently rewrite. Our Corrections Policy describes what counts as a correction, how to report one, and how corrections are displayed.
Disclosures
Authors disclose professional and financial interests relevant to what they write. Our founder is an active real estate developer, and every article he writes carries a standing disclosure that says so. Where an article touches an interest more specific than the standing disclosure covers, an article-level disclosure is added. The full policy is on the Conflicts & Disclosures page.
Independence from advertisers and sponsors
There is no advertising or sponsorship on Housing Unpacked at launch. If either is introduced, it will be visually distinct from editorial content, clearly labeled, and kept out of the analysis itself. No advertiser or sponsor will have any influence over what we cover, what we conclude, or what we correct. We do not accept payment, gifts or favors in exchange for coverage, and we do not publish content supplied by third parties as if it were our own.
Use of software and AI tools
Our analysis is human-authored and human-reviewed. Authors may use software tools, including spreadsheets, calculators and AI-assisted writing or research tools, to draft text, check arithmetic, or organize material. Any output from such tools that appears in a published piece has been checked by the author, who is responsible for its accuracy. We do not publish AI-generated analysis without that review, and we do not use tools to fabricate sources, quotations or data.
Questions about these standards
If you believe an article falls short of these standards, or if something here is unclear, write to us through the Ask Housing Unpacked form or the address on the Corrections Policy page. We revise these standards as the publication grows and note the date of the last revision below.
Last revised: September 2026.