Apartment rents were essentially flat across the country last month, thanks to seasonal trends and financial uncertainties.
The average asking rent in the U.S. ticked down just $1 in August to $1,755 per month, while year-over-year growth was just 0.7 percent, according to Yardi Matrix’s National Multifamily Report. The annual growth rate also was lower compared to last year, by 10 basis points, and this softening is in line with seasonal trends, according to Yardi.
Rents also were nearly flat in August when compared to July, with asking rents down just 0.1 percent. Philadelphia, which has a smaller share of newer apartments compared to other big metro areas, recorded the greatest monthly increase, of 0.7 percent, among the country’s top 30 markets. Just eight of these markets posted rental growth month over month, with Detroit (-0.6 percent), San Francisco (-0.4 percent) and New York (-0.4 percent), experiencing the largest drops.
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The housing and rental markets have felt pressure from rising interest rates and a growing affordability crisis. The real estate data provider doesn’t expect a massive spike in rents throughout the remainder of the year, also in part because supply is outweighing demand in many top markets around the U.S.
Austin recorded the greatest annual drop in advertised rents, of 4.5 percent. The Texas capital also has the greatest share of units completed over the past 12 months — 8.9 percent — of its total multifamily stock.
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Half of the top 30 metropolitan areas in the country saw year-over-year rent increases, but just four metros — Chicago, Columbus, the Twin Cities and New York City — notched growth rates of at least 3 percent.
Three Sun Belt and Mountain West cities followed Austin with the greatest decreases in yearly asking rents: Denver (-3.8 percent), Phoenix (-2.8) and Dallas (3.8). These cities also struggle with outsized supply, with Denver and Phoenix’s share of new units hitting over 5 percent. In Dallas, the share is 3.8 percent.