>The vacancy rates are deceiving though. If you have a place that is owned by someone and they are paying taxes on it, and it's not listed as a rental, it's not considered vacant.
Why would you lie like that?
https://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/definitions.pdf
Occupied Housing Units. A housing unit is occupied if a person or group of persons is living in
it at the time of the interview or if the occupants are only temporarily absent, as for example, on
vacation. The persons living in the unit must consider it their usual place of residence or have no
usual place of residence elsewhere. The count of occupied housing units is the same as the count
of households
Vacant Housing Units. A housing unit is vacant if no one is living in it at the time of the
interview, unless its occupants are only temporarily absent. In addition, a vacant unit may be one
which is entirely occupied by persons who have a usual residence elsewhere. New units not yet
occupied are classified as vacant housing units if construction has reached a point where all
exterior windows and doors are installed and final usable floors are in place. Vacant units are
excluded if they are exposed to the elements, that is, if the roof, walls, windows, or doors no
longer protect the interior from the elements, or if there is positive evidence (such as a sign on
the house or block) that the unit is to be demolished or is condemned. Also excluded are quarters
being used entirely for nonresidential purposes, such as a store or an office, or quarters used for
the storage of business supplies or inventory, machinery, or agricultural products. Vacant
sleeping rooms in lodging houses, transient accommodations, barracks, and other quarters not
defined as housing units are not included in the statistics in this report. (See section on "Housing
Unit.")