What Apartment Renters Really Want

WASHINGTON, DC—Smart technology. Green space. Sustainability. For years apartment owners have been in search of the ideal mix of amenities and building features to attract the best renters. In return, they have been met with an avalanche of suggestions, some of which have hit the mark and others washing out.

For example, while virtual tours of apartments have been heavily marketed by vendors as the next big thing, research has found that the majority of renters still prefer an in-person tour with a community representative. Such findings, of course, are rarely absolute. For instance, 14% of renters noted they would rent an apartment sight unseen, says Rick Haughey, vice president of Technology Initiatives at the National Multifamily Housing Council.

This data point comes an exhaustive survey by the National Multifamily Housing Council and Kingsley Associates. They say the report is the largest-ever collection of apartment resident insights, featuring input from nearly 373,000 renters living in 5,336 communities across the US. In short, they hope to set the record straight on what apartment renters really want. Here are some other findings from the report.

Short-term rentals

The view on short-term rental activity on site is strongly reflective of resident age, with younger renters expressing more interest. Nationally, nearly 60% of respondents said having short-term rentals would either positively impact their perception of a community or have no effect at all; conversely, 16% said they wouldn’t rent at a community that allowed short-term rentals.

Coworking

While 42% of survey respondents said they telecommuted at least part of the time, just 15% said they either had or would use a coworking space, while 55% said they were interested in an on-site business center.

Coliving

Despite a lot of investment in coliving start-ups, nationally, apartment residents remain skeptical about the trend—at least for now—with 69% saying they definitely would not be interested in this type of living arrangement.

Voice-activated technology

Forty-three percent of respondents said they were interested in or would not rent without voice-activated virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home. More than a third said they already owned such devices.

Pet amenities

More than one-third of respondents were pet owners, with the majority having dogs. Dog owners, in turn, said they expected to pay between $28 and $34 more per feature per month for perks like a community dog park, pet-washing station or on-site pet services.