Industry Insider

A weekly newsletter covering a broad range of topics affecting rental housing.

Industry Insider

A weekly newsletter of noteworthy articles pertaining to our industry.

How BTR Homes Compare in Size, Price, Location

February, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

In many ways, build-to-rent (BTR) homes can be thought of as a hybrid between single-family homes and townhomes and apartments.This article is an excerpt from the January/February 2023 units Magazine article, "Build-to-Rent: Challenging Times Yield New Options & Strategies."Size and price. Most…

An EV in Every Garage

By Paul Bergeron | February, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

Electric vehicles (EVs) and chargers are seeing a steady influx in apartment communities nationwide. The type and number of such stations can be a riddle as they gauge current and future demand for what has become a prime amenity in some locations.MEB Development’s Bella Victoria community in Mesa…

New Apartments Shrinking in Size

February, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

Smaller apartments have brought down the national average to under 900 square feet.The average size of new apartments is shrinking. According to RentCafe, the average size of apartments has decreased 54 square feet in the past 10 years. The 887 square foot average in 2022 is also down 30 square…

Apartment Renter Migration Trends

February, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

New data shows apartment searchers open to longer-distance moves.The shift seen in the workforce regarding work-from-home (WFH) opportunities has affected renter preferences. The Apartment List Renter Migration Report for 2022 shows 40% of apartment searchers were looking in a new metro for their…

Multifamily Permits, Starts Down; Completions Up

February, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

Mixed results in latest housing data release.The Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Feb. 16 that housing starts and building permits were down year-over-year (YoY) in January. Housing completions were up double-digits.Starts, completions and permits for new…

NAA Releases Second Episode of The Apartmentcast

February, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

The NAA Apartmentcast, the official podcast of the National Apartment Association, has released its second episode, which features a sit down with NAA VP of Research Paula Munger for a conversation centered on apartment market trends, the labor market, inflation, demographics, housing affordability…

Apartment Management Once Again Proving Recession-Proof

By Paul Bergeron | February, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

Headlines about significant job layoffs are appearing almost daily as the country moves into 2023 with “recession” on many minds.Workforce reductions have mostly been in the technology industry, but lately, they are showing up elsewhere. But not in apartment management.Apartment management…

Federal Advocacy Outlook: Advocate 2023

By Greg Brown and Nicole Upano | February, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

The 118th Congress Convenes While Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives in early 2023 as expected, no one foresaw the razor-thin four-seat majority (222–213). In the Senate, Republicans were only given a roughly 50/50 chance of taking the chamber, but few expected them…

NAA Update on HUD's Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing

By Cedric Watkins | January, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

On January 19, 2023, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register that aims to bolster the mechanisms that allow the agency to enforce the Fair Housing Act’s longstanding requirement to “affirmatively further fair…

White House Renters Bill of Rights’ Principles & Agency Actions

By Ben Harrold | January, 2023 | Updated February, 2023

On January 25, the White House announced a number of actions to advance President Biden’s housing agenda, which are intended to protect renters and promote rental affordability. Key actions include: Unveiling “Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights,” which lays out five principles that President…