What Renters Want: 10 Key Stats from New Survey

Peak leasing season is here, and renters are on the search for their next place. A recent survey by Apartments.com revealed what they’re looking for and how they’re searching. Conducted in May 2025, the survey featured 20,000 Americans who plan to move into a rental unit. That includes nearly a quarter of respondents who aren’t currently renters but are looking for a rental as their next residence.

Here are the top findings from the survey.

41% of renters are moving to a new city

Eighty-four percent of renters planning to move know where they’re going. These renters have a general idea of which city, state, or neighborhood they want to move to. And 41 percent of them are choosing a new city as their destination.

Renters are selecting their destinations based on considerations like work, school, friends and family.

A 26-year-old renter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania explained: “I'm slowly migrating across the U.S. to get closer to friends. I started in Washington and am making my way to New York.”

Many older renters cited the need to be close to family or live in a warmer climate.

High costs are driving 32% of renters to move

Affordability is a top motivator for nearly a third of renters. While the top reasons driving renters to move are personal — such as family changes or a new job — financial concerns come in second place. The need for affordable rent is driving 32 percent of renters to move.

Few renters start their search with a specific property in mind

When renters begin their search, most aren’t sure where they’ll end up. Only 12 percent have a specific property in mind before they begin their search. For the remaining 88 percent, searching for a place is how they discover the apartment communities and other properties that meet their needs.

Rental search sites and apps — like Apartments.com — are renters’ preferred search tool. Over three-quarters of renters (76 percent) said they’re currently using or planning to use a rental search site. These platforms give renters a broad look at their options. Renters can easily discover properties they hadn’t heard of and refine their search to fit only the places that have what they’re looking for. Once they’ve narrowed down their list, they gather more information by browsing the property’s website and reading through online reviews.

63% expect to live in an apartment

Of all rental property types, apartments come out on top. Nearly two-thirds — 63 percent — of renters say they expect their next rental residence to be an apartment, compared to only 22 percent who expect to rent a single-family home or duplex.

Townhouses and condos make up 9 and 4 percent, respectively.

3D tours appeal to 81% of renters

Virtual tours are on the rise. Eight in 10 renters are interested in using a 3D virtual tour. With a 3D tour, renters can virtually explore a unit, simulating the experience of walking through the space.

Available through tools like Matterport, 3D tours allow renters to click or tap to move around and explore different rooms and angles.

This type of touring option lets renters see the property on demand, on their own schedule.

3D tours can help them narrow down their search, answering questions like: What is the layout like? How much natural light is there? Where can I fit my bed?

“I need to have a good idea of what it looks like prior to investing the time in physically going to view the unit,” said one survey respondent, a 43-year-old man living in Minneapolis.

41% are likely to rent sight unseen

The onsite property tour is nice to have — but for over four in 10 renters, it’s not a necessity. As online listings grow increasingly detailed, renters are feeling more confident signing a lease without seeing the place in person.

“As long as there’s sufficiently available information, I would feel comfortable enough picking a property using a website,” said a 22-year-old respondent in Aldie, Virginia.

He cited 3D tours, video tours, and detailed descriptions of the unit, including amenities and appliances, as key factors that would encourage him to lease sight unseen.

Nearly all renters — 99 percent — said it is important to see unit-specific information.

Other renters are drawn to the speed and simplicity of the online leasing process.

“We live in a digital age, and I prefer to do as much as I can online just for efficiency,” said another survey respondent, a 39-year-old man living in Newport News, Virginia.

Over half won’t consider places without photos of the exact unit

A photo is worth a thousand words. And when renters are looking for their next home, photos of the exact unit are crucial. A whopping 77 percent of renters say they want to see exact photos of the unit, and 53 percent will keep scrolling if a listing doesn’t have any.

As a 53-year-old woman living in the Austin suburbs put it: “My time is precious, and I want to be able to scroll through see photos and see pictures of the actual unit.”

Unit-specific photos give renters essential information about the unit, including layout, amenities, and maintenance needs.

“Some units vary wildly in quality in the same building,” said a 27-year-old man in Houston, Texas. “For example, my current unit has very outdated finishes and fixtures, and the unit adjacent to me has received a full renovation and has greatly improved finishes and fixtures.”

When renters see photos of the exact apartment, they can more easily picture themselves in the unit. This helps them narrow down their top choices. The presence of unit-specific photos also makes renters feel like they can trust the property management company.

As a 21-year-old woman living in the suburbs of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, put it: “If there are no photos, I feel like they are trying to hide something. Very sketch.”

Two-thirds will stop considering a place if they have safety concerns

During the search process, renters are actively scrutinizing properties and narrowing down their list.

One of the top reasons renters stop considering a place is concern about crime and safety. This comes in second as renters’ biggest deal-breaker, only after unaffordability. Two-thirds of renters (66 percent) say they’ll stop considering a place if they have concerns about crime or safety. That’s more than those who will cross a property off their list due to concerns about the unit’s condition or maintenance (62 percent).

The issue of safety and security remains a top priority for renters. About half of renters — 48 percent in the latest survey — rank it as one of their top three considerations when selecting their next residence.

Properties that proactively promote safety are more likely to win over renters’ trust.

38% of renters want a pet-friendly property

When it comes to pet policies, a yes is better than a no. For 38 percent of renters, a no-pets policy is an immediate deal-breaker. These renters only consider places where pets — or their own pets, including breed and weight specifications — are allowed.

But does a pet-friendly policy turn other renters away? Typically, no. Only 6 percent of renters say they wouldn’t consider a place that allows pets. For the remaining 56 percent, pet policy doesn’t factor into their decision either way.

A/C is an essential amenity for 70% of renters

For renters moving this summer, air conditioning is a top priority. This useful feature ranked first among renters’ must-have amenities. Seventy percent of renters overall said that A/C is an amenity they wouldn’t live without.

And in major cities with roasting summers, A/C scored even higher, with eight in 10 renters saying they couldn’t live without it: 82 percent in St. Louis, 81 percent in Houston and Dallas, and 80 percent in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.

The only major cities where less than half of renters prioritize air conditioning were Seattle and San Francisco — both West Coast cities with temperate summers. Only 37 percent of renters in Seattle say they wouldn’t rent without A/C. In San Francisco, it was just 25 percent. In these cities, in-laundry ranks as renters’ top priority.