Rental Housing Weekly Briefing: September 28 - October 2, 2026

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Title slide with modern apartment building and text: Rental Housing Weekly Briefing, September 21-25, 2026, Chandan Economics.

This week’s Rental Housing Weekly Briefing examines Chandan Economics’ latest Multifamily Rent Growth Update, where annual rent growth accelerated for a fifth consecutive month and gains broadened across more US metros, alongside the September Independent Landlord Rental Performance Report, which shows further stabilization in mom-and-pop rent collections as on-time payments improved and year-over-year performance strengthened.

LAST WEEK in RENTAL HOUSING

Multifamily Rent Growth Update

National multifamily rent growth strengthened again in August, with rents rising 2.2% year-over-year, up from 1.9% in July and 1.5% in June. Annual growth has now accelerated for five consecutive months following its March low.
Short-term momentum remained strong. Annualized month-over-month rent growth registered 4.2% in August, only slightly below July’s 4.4% pace and still near the strongest levels seen since early 2023.
Market breadth improved further. 74.6% of US metros posted month-over-month rent gains, the highest share since March 2023, while 91.1% recorded year-over-year increases, the highest share since December 2024.
The improvement is increasingly visible even in former laggards. Only 16 of the 100 largest metros still recorded annual rent declines in August, and 14 of those 16 posted positive monthly growth, suggesting that weak annual readings in many high-supply markets increasingly reflect earlier softness rather than continued deterioration.

Chandan-RentRedi Independent Landlord Rental Performance Report

On-time rent payments at independently operated properties improved to 83.2% in September, up from 82.8% in August and marking a second consecutive monthly increase following the summer trough.
The year-over-year comparison strengthened further, with on-time collections rising 91 basis points from September 2025 — the strongest annual improvement since May 2023 and a sharp reversal from the declines recorded through much of late 2025 and early 2026.
Full-payment performance also improved. The September forecast rose to 96.2%, while the 2026 year-to-date average through July stands at 95.8%. Late payments remain the main source of strain, however, increasing to 12.6% in July after improving during the spring.
Multifamily again led the monthly recovery, with its on-time payment rate rising 70 basis points to 82.8%. Single-family rentals improved to 83.1%, while 2–4-family rentals increased to 83.4%, further narrowing the gap across property types.