The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) Renter Preferences Survey Report asked 221,000 renters what they want most in their rental home. The first thing they want is an apartment — an impressive 86 percent chose this type of rental over townhomes and single-family houses. So, what else do they want? Let’s dive in and see what the results show.
How do renters prefer to tour apartments?
Guided or unguided? That was the question, and NMHC found the answer. The majority of renters — 69 percent of those surveyed — still want to take a guided tour with a community representative. The reason is simple: they want to be able to get their questions answered. In fact, 92 percent cited this as the reason they prefer guided tours, while another 62 percent were looking for additional information on the community or neighborhood.
However, while most still prefer in-person tours, virtual and self-guided tours are gaining ground. Of those who preferred a self-guided tour, 66 percent said they preferred to tour at their own pace, and another 51 percent said it allowed them to speak freely with their partner or roommate about the unit. These reasons were followed closely by the scheduling convenience (49 percent) and not wanting to be “sold” on the apartment by a representative (48 percent).
What do renters look for in an apartment community?
Renters want their future home to be healthy and sustainable: 65 percent said a healthy building certification would impact their leasing decision, while 62 percent said a sustainability certification would.
Another thing renters want in their apartment community is pet-friendliness. The majority of those surveyed — 51 percent — said they would be more likely to choose a pet-friendly property, while just 7 percent said they would be less likely to rent in a pet-friendly community. Interestingly, only 36 percent of those surveyed currently have a pet.
While cats may seem more conducive to apartment living, renters disagree. Those surveyed are overwhelmingly dog owners, with 70 percent owning dogs and 34 percent owning cats.
More Renters Are Working from Home
Times have changed, and working from home is here to stay. Of those surveyed, 45 percent said they work from home at least several days a week or every day. Only 38 percent said they never work from home, and just 5 percent said they only work from home once a week. When asked if they expect their work-from-home habits to change over the next year, 64 percent said they expect to work remotely the same amount.
Because so many renters are now working from home, the importance of having flexible space has increased, with 65 percent saying flexible space is important to very important. In addition to flexible space, renters want the ability to customize their apartments, with 84 percent of those surveyed saying this is important to very important. Since renters are spending more time at home, noise reduction is also a priority, with 90 percent wanting soundproof walls and 85 percent wanting noise-reducing windowpanes.
Which apartment amenities are most important to renters?
While hardwood floors and granite countertops may seem like hot amenities, the basics win! Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 amenities, according to renters:
10. Microwave oven (83 percent)
9. Patio or full balcony (84 percent)
8. Pre-installed window shades/blinds (84 percent)
7. Dishwasher (86 percent)
6. Walk-in closet (88 percent)
5. Garbage disposal (88 percent)
4. High-speed internet access (89 percent)
3. Soundproof walls (90 percent)
2. Air conditioning (91 percent)
1. Washer/dryer in unit (92 percent)
Which apartment amenities do renters want least?
While more than 90 percent of renters are looking for in-unit washers and dryers, air conditioning, and soundproof walls, other features fell farther down the list of top amenities. Here are the features renters care least about having in their next apartment:
10. Smart lighting (62 percent)
9. Smart/dynamic glass (61 percent)
8. Floor-to-ceiling windows (60 percent)
7. Keyless smart locks (59 percent)
6. Stand-alone shower (57 percent)
5. Breakfast bar (55 percent)
4. TV wall mount (52 percent)
3. Biometric access to home (38 percent)
2. Gear wall in the home (33 percent)
1. Fireplace (29 percent)
Interestingly, “fireplace” and “biometric access to home” saw the biggest drops since 2020. Back then, 43 percent of those surveyed wanted a fireplace and 58 percent wanted biometric access to their homes.
Which apartment community amenities do renters want most?
Now that we covered what renters want most in their apartments, what about the community amenities? Here are the 10 community amenities renters want most:
10. Controlled access parking (68 percent)
9. Dedicated visitor/guest parking (66 percent)
8. Covered parking (68 percent)
7. Property-wide recycling (69 percent)
6. Fitness center (70 percent)
5. Non-smoking buildings (70 percent)
4. Controlled property/amenity access (71 percent)
3. Swimming pool (73 percent)
2. Secure self-service 24/7 package access (73 percent)
1. Reliable cell reception (86 percent)
Which apartment community amenities are least important to renters?
While certain community features like good cell reception and self-service package access are top priorities among renters, most agree that there are some amenities they could live without. Here are the community amenities renters are least concerned about:
10. Conference/meeting room (26 percent)
9. Rentable co-working space (25 percent)
8. Off-site storage with on-demand delivery (27 percent)
7. Electric transportation monitoring options (23 percent)
6. Pickleball court (22 percent)
5. Bike maintenance/repair area (21 percent)
4. Bike sharing (20 percent)
3. On-site childcare center (19 percent)
2. Scooter sharing (18 percent)
1. Resident-only car-sharing service (17 percent)
One interesting note about these results is the rise of the pickleball court. While just 22 percent consider this an important community amenity, it wasn’t even an option in 2020. But while a growing number of residents want pickleball courts, far fewer today want conference or meeting rooms. Just 26 percent said this was important compared to 2020 when 41 percent of renters said a conference or meeting room was a priority feature for them.
Which apartment features do renters consider a necessity?
While some amenities are simply nice to have, others are considered necessities — meaning renters won’t consider an apartment without these features. The results align closely with the apartment features renters said are most important when searching for an apartment. Air conditioning came in at number one, with 76 percent of renters saying they wouldn’t rent an apartment without it. That’s up two percentage points from 2020. Here are a few other amenities renters can’t live without:
- Washer/dryer in unit (65 percent)
- Dishwasher (63 percent)
- Garbage disposal (54 percent)
- High-seed internet access (54 percent)
- Microwave oven (50 percent)
- Washer/dryer hookups (46 percent)
- Bathtub (37 percent)
- Walk-in closet (35 percent)
- Patio or full balcony (32 percent)
What features wouldn’t impact their renting decision? These amenities all ranked at three percent or below:
- Fireplace
- Smart/dynamic glass
- TV wall mount
- Video doorbell at unit
- Biometric access to home
- Gear wall in home
What community amenities do renters consider necessities?
With no community amenities topping 38 percent, renters don’t consider many community amenities necessities, meaning the lack of these wouldn’t prevent them from renting an apartment. However, of those who do consider certain community features a must when renting, here’s what they want:
- Reliable cell reception (38 percent)
- Non-smoking buildings (31 percent)
- Controlled-access parking (28 percent)
- Fitness center (21 percent)
- Controlled property/amenity access (20 percent)
- Swimming pool (20 percent)
- Dedicated visitor/guest parking (17 percent)
- Secure self-service 24/7 package access (16 percent)
- Property-wide recycling (14 percent)
What matters most to renters during an apartment search?
Renters rely on a variety of different factors when choosing a new home. Unsurprisingly, considering the rising rent costs in the past few years, the rental rate was the most important factor to renters, with 90 percent saying this is either “very important” or “absolutely essential.” The next most important factor was location (at 85 percent), followed by the property’s appearance at 82 percent.
Here’s an interesting statistic: only 22 percent said friends or family recommendation was a factor when deciding whether to visit a property. However, 69 percent relied on property ratings and reviews when looking for an apartment, and 84 percent said those reviews influenced their leasing decision.
No matter what amenities are important to you, Apartments.com has search filters to help you find them! If you’re like most renters and air conditioning is a must-have, you can search for apartments with air conditioning. After searching for a location, click “More Filters,” and check the box next to “air conditioning.” If you want an amenity that isn’t listed, add it under “keywords.”
