Renters were taking their time because of high vacancy rates
Renters Were In No Hurry To Find A Place In 2025
The share of renters who were “just looking” or “in no hurry” in find a place peaked in 2025, according to a new report from Apartment List.
Renters were taking their time because of high vacancy rates in some markets, plus soft conditions due to a surge of new multifamily units hitting the market.
“Given this backdrop, it’s perhaps unsurprising that renters are increasingly taking their time and considering their options,” writes Chris Salviati, chief economist for Apartment List, in the report.
The Apartment List Economics team looked at the aggregate level responses to the question: “How important is your move-in date?” Responses were collected on a 1-4 scale.
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“I’m just looking” – Average 93 days from registration to planned move-in
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“I want to move but am in no hurry” – Average 84 days from registration to planned move-in
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“I need to move but can be flexible” – Average 59 days from registration to planned move-in
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“I’ve got to move!” – Average 45 days from registration to planned move-in.
On average, low-urgency renters start their apartment search about three months before their projected move-in date. High-urgency renters, on the other hand, are planning to move in about 1.5 months. High-urgency renters tend to set higher budgets as well, knowing they have less flexibility when searching for their next home.
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Renter urgency varies dependably with the seasonality of the market.
Changes late in 2025
However, the share of renters searching with low urgency fell in the last three months of 2025, dipping from 54.4 percent in September to 53.8 percent in December.
In early 2026 rents are still falling, and the national vacancy rate is still increasing.
“In other words, our core indicators are not yet showing any shift in the soft conditions that have characterized the rental market for the past few years. But the construction boom is now past its peak, and the number of new units hitting the market has slowed considerably.
“With fewer options and deals available from new properties in their lease-up phases, renters may be starting to feel just a bit more pressure; the recent increase in urgency could be a leading indicator for tightening conditions to come later this year,” Salviati writes in the report.
Source: Rental Housing Journal
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