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How do renters in 2026 find and choose their next rental residence? A recent survey from Apartments.com reveals the preferences and strategies of nearly 27,000 U.S. renters, including 16,000 adults planning to rent their next place and nearly 11,000 renters who recently completed their rental search.
From priorities to deal-breakers, seven key themes stood out about how renters are searching and selecting.
1. Unit-specific information is non-negotiable
Long before they move in, renters are already imagining themselves in your available units. When they see photos, floor plans, and 3D tours, they’re thinking about where they’d put their furniture, how much sunlight the living room might get, and if there’s sufficient closet space for their belongings.
A whopping 99 percent of renters say that unit-specific detail is important, and 63 percent of them rank it as extremely important. Photos are among the most important pieces of information renters want to see, with 74 percent saying they want to see online photos of the exact unit they’re considering.
As a 25-year-old renter in Medford, Massachusetts explained: “You wouldn’t buy a secondhand couch without seeing a photo, so why would I consider it for my place to live?”
In fact, 47 percent of renters say that a lack of exact unit photos is a deal-breaker.
And it’s not just photos. Renters also want to see unit floor plans (63 percent), understand the features and finishes (58 percent), read a unit description (52 percent), and see the square footage and room dimensions (47 percent), among other important details.
Many renters are relying on online information to help narrow down their search before they book an in-person tour — if they even do so at all. For four in 10 renters, visiting before moving might not even be an option: 43 percent of renters say they’re likely to rent unseen, and 41 percent report planning to move to a different city or state.
2. It all comes down to the price
Price consistently ranks at the top of renters’ priority list. Seventy-nine percent of prospective renters considered price to be one of their top three considerations, and 76 percent of recent renters reported applying price filters in their online search. For 73 percent of renters, going over budget is a deal-breaker.
With price such a key consideration for renters, multifamily operators in high-vacancy markets have a useful tool at their disposal: concessions. Overall 88 percent of renters said that a discount or gift would make them more likely to consider a property.
Assuming the same price value for each option, the most popular choices were a free month’s rent, which 69 percent of renters said would sway their decision, and discounted rent for 12 months, which would be of interest to 66 percent of renters.
3. Transparent pricing builds trust
Beyond just price, renters want an accurate picture of how much they’ll pay once they move in. Eighty-one percent of renters prefer to see the total price with all required fees factored in.
A 41-year-old recent renter in Nashville, Tennessee explained: “A lot of apartments list one price but then tack on a bunch of fees in person.”
For over half of renters who haven’t found a place yet, surprise fees are a deal-breaker that would make them stop considering a property. And it’s not a theoretical scenario, either. Among renters who recently found a place, 46 percent report that they’ve stopped considering a property after learning about surprise fees.
4. AI isn’t central to the rental search yet, but renters are open to it
How are renters finding your communities? The internet listing site remains one of the top tools in renters’ toolkit.
Eighty-five percent of prospective renters report using or planning to use a rental search app or website like Apartments.com. That’s more than half the percentage of renters who report using property websites (33 percent), word of mouth (33 percent), or search engines (32 percent).
In contrast, generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT remain at the bottom of the list, with only 4 percent of prospective renters reporting that they use them in their rental search. (Of the renters who do use generative AI chatbots in their rental search, ChatGPT is the top choice, used by half of such respondents.)
But there are signs that AI is picking up steam among renters, despite its low ranking currently.
Thirty percent of renters report using ChatGPT or similar tools on a daily or weekly basis in other aspects of their lives, and 41 percent of renters say they’d be likely to rely on the recommendations of an AI chatbot when choosing a rental.
5. Renters want a convenient (and safe) location
Location, location, location. The golden rule of real estate is just as true for renters when choosing their next place to live. Location ranks only after price among renters’ top considerations, with 57 percent of prospective renters rating it among their top three.
For 44 percent of renters, an inconvenient location is a deal-breaker.
But what makes a location convenient or desirable to your future residents? For most renters, it’s about practical factors. Most of all, renters want to live close to:
- Work (54 percent)
- Grocery stores (47 percent)
- Friends and family (34 percent)
- Parks and outdoor green spaces (29 percent)
- Restaurants, cafes, and dining options (28 percent)
“I like to know what I am investing in, especially the neighborhood,” said a 35-year-old woman in West Des Moines, Iowa. “I like to know how many stores are accessible in restaurants near where I’ll be living in the future, especially if I’m able to walk around those areas safely.”
Safety and security, another factor that renters evaluate when choosing a neighborhood or apartment community, ranked third after price and location, with 47 percent of renters putting it among their top three.
6. Unit-specific amenities matter more than community amenities
Amenities are a top consideration for renters in their search. Overall, 37 percent of prospective renters ranked amenities among their top three considerations. And it’s especially important for the youngest renters. Among Gen Z renters, this number jumped to 44 percent.
But which amenities matter most?
Renters prioritize practicality over anything. The top amenities that renters who are currently looking say they can’t live without include air conditioning (69 percent), a washer and dryer in their unit (67 percent), and off-street parking or a garage (41 percent).
For renters who have recently completed their search, the in-unit washer and dryer rose to the top of the list, with 60 percent reporting they included this filter in their search. About half (48 percent) said they searched for air conditioning, 40 percent for parking, 36 percent for a dishwasher, and 29 percent for utilities being bundled in the price.
7. Resident feedback is key
Once renters have found the properties — and units — that meet their needs, there’s an intangible factor they have to gauge. “What’s it like actually living here?” That’s where resident ratings and reviews come in.
For renters who can’t ask a friend what it’s like to live there, online ratings and reviews serve a similar function.
And 96 percent of renters say that reviews are important to their decision-making process.
One survey respondent in Dearborn, Michigan uses reviews to cut down on in-person visits.
“Based on online reviews, I can choose without visiting,” the 31-year-old man said.
How can your listings attract more renters?
To draw in more renters to your listing, think like a renter. Check out these tips for optimizing your listings to feature what renters really want to see:
