The Most In-Demand Apartment Amenities for Renters Right Now

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The list of amenities that renters value most has some surprises: Rental buildings that feature gyms or pools actually are inclined to underperform, while social-living perks like glad hours and co-working spaces are apparently in vogue.

Gyms and pools, which have long been considered two of the most-desired amenities in a luxury constructing, are losing their appeal with today’s renters, in keeping with a recent report from home search site Zillow that considered data from about 5.6 million listings.

Zillow says the variety of “saves” on an inventory is a proxy for demand and might suggest that an apartment will rent faster. Its findings? Listings that boast constructing glad hours draw a 50% increase in saves, and ones that mention turf pet areas get 76% more saves than other units.

Meanwhile, listings mentioning fitness centers are saved 26% less often than comparable units, and there is a 10% drop-off for listings with pools.

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“Renters are rethinking what they need and wish in a house, looking beyond buildings with traditional rental amenities in favor of those with features and services that higher suit their lifestyle and budget,” in keeping with the report.

Nationally, rents are up 3.4% 12 months over 12 months and are 33.6% higher than before the pandemic, Zillow reports. Given these steep increases, some renters are re-evaluating their housing budgets and priorities.

Amenities like pools and gymnasiums are inclined to come at a value. A 2019 report from Hotpads.com found that the standard premium renters pay for apartments with pools was $70 and $62 for gyms. It’s unclear if these amenities themselves have fallen out of favor with renters or if the problem is solely the upper price tags for units with these upscale amenities.

Semi-regular glad hours and pet-friendly spaces, alternatively, appear so as to add loads of value for renters and sure have a much lower cost for the constructing.

“[Renters] are prioritizing practical amenities while also in search of community-focused perks like co-working spaces and social events,” Emily McDonald, rental trends expert at Zillow, said within the report. “These features offer a balance of convenience and lifestyle enhancement.”

Another popular amenities are more stylistic. Most notably, “modern farmhouse features,” including butcher-block countertops and barn doors, are among the many top apartment features desired by renters.