Multifamily rent remains flat at $1,710 in January

The multifamily market was stable at the start of 2024, despite the pressure of a supply boom in some markets, according to the latest Yardi Matrix National Multifamily Report. The average asking multifamily rent remained flat at $1,710 in January for a 0.5% year-over-year increase, while occupancy decreased 50 basis points year-over-year in December, to 94.6%.

Yardi Matrix Multifamily Rent Report for January 2024

Rent growth remained highest in the Northeast and Midwest, while four of Yardi Matrix’s top 30 metros posted rent declines of 3% or more year-over-year. Occupancy was positive in one market and remained flat in two.

Rent growth will be impacted by supply in 2024, as Yardi Matrix forecasts a record 540,000 units to be delivered this year, and another 460,000 units in 2025.

National Average Rents

“Another year of weak growth is expected in 2024 largely due to the rapid increase in deliveries that stems from the sector’s strong performance, high liquidity, and favorable treatment in the 2017 tax bill,” say Matrix analysts.

New supply is inconsistent across the map, with the highest amounts in fast-growing tertiary and secondary markets, predominantly in the Sunbelt and Western regions. There, multifamily rent growth will likely remain tepid. Meanwhile, the weak supply in markets in the Northeast and Midwest is expected to keep rents rising.

Single-family rentals outperformed multifamily last month, with the average rent up $2 to $2,130 in January, a 1.5% year-over-year increase. The occupancy rate in December stood at 95.7%, up 10 basis points year-over-year, a sign that demand remained robust.

Click here to read the full Yardi Matrix National Multifamily Report.

Across the country, multifamily rents have skyrocketed. Year-over-year rents are up by double digits in nine of the top 30 markets, while national YoY rent growth is up 6.3%. Emerging from the pandemic, a perfect storm of migration, enhanced government stimulus and a hot housing market, among other factors, has enabled this extremely strong growth.