Since the beginning of the pandemic, rents have only varied by a few dollars each month – contrary to what many experts initially feared. However, there are significant rent variations at the metro level, and given a lack of government stimulus and continuing layoffs, the fall and winter months will be telling, says the latest Yardi Matrix® National Multifamily Report.
“With the extreme uncertainty surrounding the country today, the multifamily industry has held up better so far than many predicted. Since the beginning of the pandemic, overall rents have only been up or down by a few dollars each month. Many initially feared that the decline would be much steeper than the $8 overall national rent decline we have seen since February,” states the report.
According to the National Multifamily Housing Council’s Rent Payment Tracker, 92.2% of apartment households made a full or partial rent payment by September 27—a 1.5 percentage point decline from September 2019 and a 0.1 percentage point increase from August 2020.
Rents decreased 0.3% in September on a year-over-year basis, continuing a trend since the onset of the pandemic: Metros with the highest rents have suffered the most, while less expensive metros have fared better than expected. San Jose (-6.6%) and San Francisco (-5.8%) led with the sharpest year-over-year declines yet again. Austin (-2.9%) moved up to tie with Boston (-2.9%) for third place in largest YoY declines.
Dive deeper into the full September National Multifamily Report.
Related Stories
Market Data | Jul 18, 2019
Construction contractors remain confident as summer begins
Contractors were slightly less upbeat regarding profit margins and staffing levels compared to April.
Market Data | Jul 17, 2019
Design services demand stalled in June
Project inquiry gains hit a 10-year low.
Market Data | Jul 16, 2019
ABC’s Construction Backlog Indicator increases modestly in May
The Construction Backlog Indicator expanded to 8.9 months in May 2019.
K-12 Schools | Jul 15, 2019
Summer assignments: 2019 K-12 school construction costs
Using RSMeans data from Gordian, here are the most recent costs per square foot for K-12 school buildings in 10 cities across the U.S.
Market Data | Jul 12, 2019
Construction input prices plummet in June
This is the first time in nearly three years that input prices have fallen on a year-over-year basis.
Market Data | Jul 1, 2019
Nonresidential construction spending slips modestly in May
Among the 16 nonresidential construction spending categories tracked by the Census Bureau, five experienced increases in monthly spending.
Market Data | Jul 1, 2019
Almost 60% of the U.S. construction project pipeline value is concentrated in 10 major states
With a total of 1,302 projects worth $524.6 billion, California has both the largest number and value of projects in the U.S. construction project pipeline.
Market Data | Jun 21, 2019
Architecture billings remain flat
AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score for May showed a small increase in design services at 50.2.
Market Data | Jun 19, 2019
Number of U.S. architects continues to rise
New data from NCARB reveals that the number of architects continues to increase.
Market Data | Jun 12, 2019
Construction input prices see slight increase in May
Among the 11 subcategories, six saw prices fall last month, with the largest decreases in natural gas.