Cotality: Single-Family Rent Growth Steadies in April

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Cotality, Irvine, Calif., released its Single-Family Rent Index for April, finding single-family rent prices increased 1.4% year-over-year.

That compares with a 2.8% annual increase in April 2025.

“Single-family rent growth has shifted into a slower gear, with annual gains continuing to ease even as monthly increases remain in line with typical seasonal patterns. Since fall 2025, annual rent growth has held within a narrow range of about 1% to 1.5%, signaling that the market has settled into a more stable phase after the sharper deceleration seen earlier,” said Molly Boesel, senior principal economist at Cotality. “Growth continues to diverge by segment and region, with higher-priced rentals still outperforming lower-priced homes. Regionally, Midwestern and Northeastern markets such as Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York are driving stronger gains, with Chicago up 5.5% year over year, while some Sun Belt markets, including Miami and Los Angeles, are flat or declining. With annual gains remaining subdued and fewer markets posting declines, rent growth appears to be holding steady at a low level rather than building momentum going forward.”

Broken down by property type: Rent for high-end properties increased 2.1% year-over-year in April 2026. That compares with a 3.3% gain last year.

Prices for low-end properties only grew 0.6%, compared with 2.4% in April 2025.

Rent growth for detached rentals was 1.1% and for attached rentals it was 1%.

Of the major metros, Chicago saw the highest rent growth at 5.5%, followed by Philadelphia at 3%, New York at 2.6%, and Detroit at 1.8%. Some areas fell, including Los Angeles (down by 0.5%) and Miami (down by 0.5%).