COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE'S ECONOMIC ADVISORS

Tepid shifts in cost-burden levels can conceal sharper increases in severe cost burdens, proving the topline number doesn't always capture concentrated distress.

This week’s Rental Housing Weekly Briefing examines Trepp data showing that multifamily CMBS delinquency rose sharply in July, alongside Chandan Economics’ analysis of the Q2 2026 GDP report, which showed slower headline growth but stronger private demand and little relief for interest-rate expectations.

Thursday's GDP arrives just one day after the FOMC's July meeting, where policymakers voted 9-3 to hold rates steady, marking the most dissents at a single meeting in nearly a decade. Today's data sharpens the debate without resolving it.

This week’s Rental Housing Weekly Briefing examines NMHC’s July 2026 Quarterly Survey of Apartment Conditions, which shows apartment markets tightening even as sales activity and financing conditions softened, alongside the latest Chandan Economics–RentRedi data showing that mom-and-pop rent collections remain broadly stable despite modest summer weakening, and a Chandan Economics–Arbor Realty Trust analysis of US Census Bureau data showing that new multifamily supply is incr

The July 2026 Independent Landlord Rental Performance Report from Chandan Economics and RentRedi shows modest summer softening in rent collections, though the broader stabilization trend remains intact. On-time payments edged lower again in July, while full-payment resolution remained broadly stable and late-payment activity, though improved from its early-2026 peak, remained historically elevated.

This week’s Rental Housing Weekly Briefing examines the CREFC Board of Governors Sentiment Index, which shows CRE finance sentiment stabilizing after a sharp first-quarter pullback, alongside Chandan Economics’ latest Multifamily Rent Growth Update, where rent growth strengthened in June and a larger share of US metro areas recorded rising rents.from-home renters have become less rent-burdened since 2020.

US multifamily rent growth accelerated in June, with annual growth reaching 1.4% and monthly annualized growth rising to its fastest pace since 2023. Market breadth also strengthened, though performance remains highly uneven across metros.

CPI has its sharpest single-month decline since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly reducing the likelihood of a July rate hike.