New 2025 & 2026 Rent Growth Prediction (A BIG Bounce Back?)

Rent growth has slowed significantly since the massive hikes of 2020-2023, but could we be close to another major rebound? A surge in multifamily supply has led many apartments to offer discounted rents, move-in and renewal concessions, and other perks to attract renters. Renters currently have the upper hand, but what happens when the supply-demand balance shifts—and less than half the usual new supply comes online? Dave is answering that question in this May 2025 rent update. We’ll walk through which cities have rising rents, which are seeing declines, multifamily vs. single-family rents, and a new (optimistic) 2025–2026 rent forecast that could change everything for landlords. Single-family rentals are already in decent demand, so what happens when those cheaper multifamily apartments reach maximum occupancy? This could be great news for landlords and real estate investors, but the general public is NOT paying attention. If rental demand stays steady but supply drops off a cliff, you could stand to benefit. We’re getting into that, and more, in this episode! In This Episode We Cover New May 2025 rent growth update and single-family vs. multifamily numbers The huge investor opportunity for 2026 as multifamily supply dries up Cities with rising rents that very few investors would have predicted An optimistic rent growth forecast (and whether Dave believes it) Surprisingly expensive markets that are seeing rents grow EVEN more And So Much More! Links from the Show Join the Future of Real Estate Investing with Fundrise Join BiggerPockets for FREE Sign Up for the On the Market Newsletter Property Manager Finder Rental Demand is Surging 3x Faster Than Homeownership—Here’s How to Catch the Wave Dave's BiggerPockets Profile Grab Dave’s Book, “Real Estate by the Numbers” Check out more resources from this show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BiggerPockets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/on-the-market-323⁠ Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[e-mail]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices