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Attracting the next wave of renters starts with a home that fits their budget and needs—and a listing that proves it. For owners, builders, and leasing teams, that means coordinating the whole offer: a transparent monthly price, useful unit-level information, convenient ways to ask questions and tour, practical features, and a resident experience the property can actually deliver. U.S. survey results offer helpful direction, but renters are not one uniform demographic; priorities vary by household, property type, and local market.
What are renters looking for in their rental search?
They are looking for a home that feels attainable, suitable for everyday life, and accurately represented. In an Apartments.com survey of more than 15,000 U.S. adults planning to rent, conducted in November and December 2025, price ranked first among renter considerations. Location, safety, proximity to daily needs, and practical comforts also featured prominently. Meanwhile, Zillow Research’s 2026 Consumer Housing Trends Report found that digital listing media and in-person tours both remain important parts of the search.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThese findings are useful signals, not a universal specification for every project. The surveys use different samples and questions, and national results cannot tell a builder what a particular neighborhood’s renters will pay for. Use them to frame local research and design decisions: what does this property need to offer, what can it credibly promise, and what evidence will help a prospective renter decide?
For a construction or renovation team, attracting renters is not only a leasing-marketing problem. A floor plan that is easy to understand, daylight that photographs well, durable finishes that remain presentable, and amenities that work when promised all affect whether the finished home matches its listing. The best marketing cannot compensate for a mismatch between expectation and reality.
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How much does it cost—and what should the advertised price include?
Show the likely recurring monthly cost clearly, not just a headline rent that leaves renters to discover required fees later. Apartments.com reported that 75% of surveyed prospective renters said they would stop considering a property outside their budget, 54% would cross it off if fees pushed the price above what had been advertised, and 85% preferred to see a total price inclusive of fees. Those are stated preferences in a U.S. survey, not a prediction for every applicant, but they make a strong case for price clarity.
Present the advertised base rent and any required recurring charges in a way a renter can understand before requesting a tour or applying. If applicable, explain items such as parking or building-service charges, whether they are optional, and when they are due. Do not bury unavoidable costs in fine print or make an offer look cheaper by omitting charges that affect a renter’s monthly budget. Local rules about price disclosure vary, so verify the requirements that apply to the property.
Concessions need the same clarity. If an offer includes a temporary discount, state how long it lasts, what rent applies afterward, and any eligibility conditions. Where you show an effective rent calculated across a lease term, make the actual monthly payment schedule visible too. A renter comparing homes needs to know both the promotional figure and what they will owe in each period.
Construction and asset teams can support a more credible price proposition by understanding the completed home’s operating realities. A building’s systems, maintenance needs, and shared amenities affect the value residents experience, but marketing should not imply that a feature or service is included if it is not ready, available, or covered by the stated price. Clear handoffs between development, property management, and leasing help prevent that mismatch.
What should a rental listing show about the actual unit?
Give prospective renters enough unit-specific information to judge the home before they spend time arranging a visit. Zillow’s 2026 report found that 81% of renters considered at least one of the report’s digital-media features essential; 51% considered pictures essential, and 43% considered a floor plan essential. These results point to a basic but often consequential standard: show the particular apartment or home, not only polished images of a model or shared spaces.
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Use current, well-lit photos that represent the unit’s real condition and layout. Include a legible floor plan with room dimensions where available, and identify which unit or configuration the images show. Explain useful details—such as storage, appliances, laundry arrangements, outdoor space, and accessibility features—accurately and consistently. If finishes differ among units, say so rather than letting a renter assume that every home matches a staged example.
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Recorded walkthroughs or virtual tours can add context for people who cannot immediately visit, but they should supplement rather than obscure the actual details. Keep media up to date after renovations, and remove images that no longer represent the available home. In new construction, coordinate photography and listing copy with the completion schedule; do not imply that unfinished amenities or uninstalled features are ready for use.
For builders, this is a design and documentation opportunity. A clear, practical layout is easier to explain when the floor plan communicates circulation, room use, and storage without ambiguity. Details that affect daily use—such as where laundry equipment sits or how a closet opens—are more informative than a vague list of upgrades. The objective is not to make every unit look identical; it is to help a renter understand the particular home being offered.
How can renters contact, tour, and apply without friction?
Make it easy to move from browsing to a real conversation while preserving the chance to see the property in person. Apartments.com found rental listing sites were the most used or planned search tool, at 85%. In the same survey, 71% preferred contacting a property by email, 45% preferred scheduling tours online, and 69% preferred applying online. Zillow’s report adds an important counterpoint: 85% of recent renters still attended at least one in-person tour.
Put a working contact method and clear next step on the listing. Answer inquiries promptly, give a realistic sense of availability, and offer online tour scheduling where the leasing operation can support it. Keep in-person visits available; photos and digital tools can narrow the search, but they do not let a renter assess every aspect of a home and its surroundings. If remote tours are offered, make the process and what it covers clear.
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An online application can reduce avoidable back-and-forth for renters who are ready to proceed. Explain the process, required information, and any relevant fees before a person begins. Make sure the application details match the current property offer, including pricing and availability. A confusing or out-of-date path from listing to application can undermine an otherwise strong presentation.
These survey findings do not establish that a particular digital channel will increase leases in every market. They do suggest that convenient contact and application options are worth offering where they can be maintained reliably. A simple email that receives a timely answer may serve a prospective renter better than a sophisticated tour feature that fails or shows an outdated unit.
Which location and comfort features deserve attention?
Describe the property’s real relationship to daily needs, then emphasize the comforts that fit the building and its likely renters. In the Apartments.com survey, 60% included location among their top considerations, 49% identified safety as a priority, and 55% wanted to live near a grocery store. These are broad U.S. responses, not a substitute for local knowledge. Give specific, verifiable context about nearby services and transportation rather than relying on unsupported labels such as “convenient” or “safe.”
Comfort features can be decisive. Apartments.com reported that 65% of respondents would not rent a place without air conditioning and 64% would not rent without an in-unit washer and dryer. Whether those features are feasible or expected depends on climate, building type, utility arrangements, and local competition. Where a property does not offer them, state the actual arrangement—such as shared laundry, if applicable—instead of allowing a listing to imply otherwise.
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Greystar’s 2026 Design Survey release, based on more than 182,000 U.S. resident responses gathered from January 2023 through December 2025, offers a different perspective: feedback from residents rather than the prospective-renter sample used by Apartments.com. Greystar reported that 88% expressed interest in expansive closets; 86% expressed interest in natural light or said they would not rent without it; and 85% described fresh-air ventilation as desirable or essential. These figures can inform design conversations, but they should not be treated as a direct forecast of demand for a specific property.
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In a new build or renovation, translate such signals into a project-specific brief instead of copying an amenity checklist. Consider whether storage is adequate for the unit size, whether window placement and room layout make good use of daylight, and whether ventilation performs as intended. For existing assets, a targeted improvement may be more realistic than a major reconfiguration; assess condition, feasibility, and local renter priorities before committing. Avoid promising performance or access that the finished project cannot substantiate.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How can the resident experience become part of the offer?
Talk about value, upkeep, quiet, and management only when the property can back up those claims in day-to-day operation. Zillow found that tenured renters most often cited good rental value (75%) and quiet neighbors (71%) as reasons for staying; 67% cited a well-maintained rental, and 64% cited liking the landlord or property manager. These are retention findings, not proof that a particular marketing message will attract new renters. They are useful because they highlight parts of the experience that a renter may continue to care about after move-in.
For owners and construction teams, maintenance begins before the first lease. Finishes and systems that are appropriate to the building’s use, careful completion work, and a clear record of what has been installed make it easier for property staff to keep the home in good condition. The leasing team then needs accurate information about how to report a problem, what shared spaces are available, and what the management team can reliably provide.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteQuiet is similarly a lived outcome, not just an adjective. A listing should not promise silence; construction choices, building layout, neighboring uses, and resident behavior all shape what people hear. Describe the property honestly and set clear expectations. If there are known limitations or shared-space rules that affect daily life, do not conceal them behind broad marketing language.
“Good value” also means more than the lowest displayed rent. Renters weigh the full price against the home’s condition, layout, location, included features, and the quality of management. A well-maintained, accurately described property may make its case more credibly than a list of upgrades without explanation. The important test for any claim is whether the operator can deliver it consistently, not whether it sounds appealing in an advertisement.
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How should owners turn national research into local decisions?
Use national survey data to form questions, then validate the answers against the asset and its market. Apartments.com surveyed U.S. adults planning to rent; Zillow’s 2026 report describes renters; Greystar’s design release reflects resident responses over three years. Their populations, timing, and question wording differ, so the percentages should not be combined as if they came from one sample or directly compared as like-for-like rankings.
Start with local evidence available to the team: the property’s actual condition and operating costs, competing homes and their disclosed fees, the features residents ask about, and the needs relevant to the neighborhood and unit type. For a multifamily building, ask whether shared amenities are used and maintained. For a single-family rental, consider which unit-level features and maintenance arrangements matter most. Zillow’s research indicates renter preferences can differ between single-family and multifamily settings, so avoid assuming one design or message suits both.
Then align four things before a listing goes live: the unit delivered by construction, the price and terms approved by ownership, the details shown in photos and floor plans, and the experience leasing and management can provide. A mismatch among these can create disappointment and wasted effort. A well-aligned offer helps prospective renters make an informed choice—and gives the property a more credible foundation for long-term satisfaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does “the next wave of renters” mean Gen Z renters only?
No. The available U.S. evidence covers different populations and does not establish one age group’s preferences as a template for all renters. Household needs, property type, and local market conditions can matter as much as age.
Can a national renter survey tell me which upgrades will pay off in my market?
No. These surveys report preferences, not local willingness to pay or the financial return from a particular renovation. Treat the findings as prompts for local conversations and asset-specific feasibility checks, not as a guaranteed investment case.
Are resident surveys and prospective-renter surveys interchangeable?
No. A resident survey reflects people already living in homes, while a survey of people planning to rent captures a different stage of the decision. Greystar’s three-year resident sample should not be read as a direct substitute for the prospective-renter sample in Apartments.com’s survey.
Should I promise an amenity that is still under construction?
Only describe it with an accurate status and timing, and avoid presenting it as available until it is ready for residents. Coordinate the listing with the construction and operations teams so the stated move-in offer reflects what will actually be accessible.
