Jennifer Han
Jennifer Han is the editor in chief of RentDataNow, covering rent trends, housing costs, and more. She was a real-estate agent before she moved to writing about the market.
Published Articles (124)
Carlsbad and Encinitas both cost more to rent than San Diego itself
North County's beach towns have quietly passed San Diego on rent. The inland cities a short drive away are still the cheapest way to live in…
How does a Bay Area couple earning $300,000 get to stay in $1,800-a-month affordable housing?
At one East San Jose complex, roughly a quarter of households now earn above the income caps. The subsidy attaches to the unit rather than t…
Johns Creek and Alpharetta anchor Atlanta's Indian community, and rent just jumped 14% in one
Atlanta's Indian community centers on the northern Fulton suburbs. One of them just posted the steepest rent jump in the metro, which change…
Does rent control actually work?
Rent freezes are usually argued in theory. Three cities have now run the experiment against a neighbor that did not, and we have five years …
In New York, crossing into a pricier ZIP code costs $2,396 a month. In Atlanta it costs $695.
Every metro has cheap and expensive corners, but the distance between them varies enormously. In New York the gap is $2,396 a month. In Atla…
Portland, Maine capped rent increases at 2.6%. Market rent still rose 10.9% this year.
Portland, Maine just set its 2027 rent control cap. The cap works on sitting tenants and almost nothing else, which is why the city's market…
Colorado now makes landlords advertise the real price. Eighteen other states are trying.
The fight over rental junk fees has moved from cities to statehouses. Colorado's new all-in pricing rule is the most aggressive version, and…
When a big employer comes to your town, rent usually jumps 25% in two years
Austin, Nashville, Arlington and Sunnyvale all absorbed a wave of corporate hiring. Our data shows the same shape each time, and the cities …
Manhattan’s luxury rents are exploding, with $100,000 a month becoming almost normal
Manhattan's top 10% of rentals rose 35% in a year while $100,000-a-month apartments went from rare to routine. Here is why that moves the av…
US rents are rising faster again as the apartment building boom fades
Rent growth is picking up again as the apartment building boom fades. Our city data confirms the split: the markets that built are still sof…
Carrollton, Texas is one of the biggest and best Korean communities in the United States
The two Dallas suburbs with the largest Korean communities are also two of the most affordable. Here is what the Census and our rent data sa…
Frisco is now 18% Indian American, and Irving is the affordable way into the community
DFW's Indian community is one of the largest in the country, and it concentrates in a handful of suburbs. The rent difference between them i…
Renting a room can save renters 40% to 54%, but insurance still treats it like an edge case
Rent-by-the-room is the cheapest way into an expensive city, and our data shows why. The insurance market hasn't kept up, and that creates a…
Zillow settles FTC case over deal that pushed Redfin out of rental listings
The FTC settled with Zillow over a $100 million deal that ended competition in apartment listings. Here's what it actually changed for rente…
Understanding your Lease: The Terms to check before you sign
A lease is a binding contract, and the fine print is where renters lose money. Here are the specific clauses to read closely before you sign…
San Francisco banned rent algorithms two years ago but it isn't helping as rents keep on rising
San Francisco's rent algorithm ban has produced zero lawsuits in two years while rent hit records. Our month-by-month data shows the law loo…
The average Social Security check cannot cover a studio in any large US city
The average retired worker collects about $2,084 a month. Run that through the standard affordability rule and it buys $625 of rent, which i…
How much does utilities and renters insurance add to rent?
Utilities and insurance are close to a fixed monthly cost, so they add a far bigger share to a $1,262 rent than a $4,539 one. That makes che…
Renting beats buying a home by $2,049 a month in L.A., the widest gap of any big metro
The gap between buying and renting a small home in Los Angeles is $2,049 a month, the biggest in the country. Flat LA rent is doing most of …
Pittsburgh is still one of the affordable big cities, but rent is climbing fast
Pittsburgh rent of $1,593 still looks like a bargain next to the coasts. The catch is the trajectory: it rose 7.1% in a year, faster than th…
For 10 years, this Washington DC house rented rooms for $700. Now it’s gone
For a decade, nuns in Northeast D.C. rented rooms to young women for $500 a month. The house closed last month, and the kind of housing it r…
How much you need to earn per hour to afford a one-bedroom in 19 big cities
Affording a one-bedroom on a single income takes anywhere from $18.98 an hour in Detroit to $55.92 in San Jose. Every figure in this table s…
Families with kids are the most rent-burdened Americans
Half of American renters spend more than 30% of income on rent, but families with kids have it worst at 54%. Our data shows why: a three-bed…
The beach-town rent premium is cracking in Florida but surging on the Jersey Shore
Living near the water still costs a premium, but the market is splitting. Florida's Gulf coast is cooling while the Jersey Shore and mid-Atl…
Manhattan rent hit a record $5,000 as apartments vanish from the market
Manhattan's median rent set a record at $5,000 in July, with Brooklyn at $4,500. The sharper story is the vanishing supply: new leases dropp…
Franklin and Brentwood now cost more to rent than Nashville itself
Renting in Nashville's two priciest suburbs, Franklin and Brentwood, now costs more than renting in Nashville proper. The gap is about $300 …
Only 9 of these 30 jobs can afford a one-bedroom in Los Angeles
Renting a one-bedroom alone in Los Angeles requires about $91,400 a year. Of 30 common occupations, nine earn enough, and a police officer f…
How to Negotiate your rent, and how to know when you have Leverage
Rent negotiation is less about confidence than about conditions. You have real leverage where supply is rising and rents are flat or falling…
Why more Americans in their 30s are moving back home with their parents
Renting the typical US apartment on your own now takes an income of $84,321 a year, up from $63,258 in 2020. That $21,000 increase explains …
Co-living is growing in Charlotte as renters look for cheaper housing
Co-living rooms in Charlotte start around $189 a week, or $819 a month with utilities included. A typical Charlotte studio runs $1,403 befor…
How Much Rent Can You Afford? The 30% Rule and the Salary Math
A $60,000 salary affords about $1,500 in rent and $100,000 affords $2,500. Here is the full salary-to-rent ladder, plus why gross income mak…
San Diego’s rent cap fell to 8.2%, but landlords can still raise rent by $249 a month
San Diego County's cap on rent increases fell from 8.8% to 8.2% on August 1. On a typical San Diego rent, 8.2% works out to $249 a month, mo…
How Much Does Rent Go Up Each Year? What Counts as a Normal Increase
Most renters see a single-digit increase at renewal. Here is what counts as a normal annual rent hike, using RentDataNow year-over-year data…
San Francisco Landlords are Paying Tenants $50,000 to Leave
San Francisco rent buyouts are back to pre-pandemic levels, with a median payout near $50,000. Against a citywide median rent of $4,401, tha…
Paying Rent on Time Does Nothing for Your Credit Unless Someone Reports It
Years of on-time rent can still leave you with a thin credit file, because most landlords never report payments to the credit bureaus. Here …
LA's Rent Cap Is Rising to 8.7%
California's statewide rent cap climbs to 8.7% in Los Angeles and Orange counties on August 1. Our data shows rents across those four counti…
Rent Isn't Deductible on Your Federal Return, but Some States Pay Renters Back
There's no federal deduction for the rent you pay on your own home, though a number of states run renter credits and rebate programs that ar…
Philadelphia Renter Sues Landlord For Using Banned Rent Price-Setting Algorithm
Yiyao Liu filed a class-action suit against Willow Bridge Property Co. and RealPage, claiming his landlord used rent-setting algorithms Phil…
The Best Time of Year to Rent an Apartment, From Our Rent Data
The pace of rent increases is smallest in late fall and winter and fastest in spring, which makes October through January the renter-friendl…
San Antonio Landlord Offers Teachers a Year of Free Rent for 3 Hours of Tutoring a Week
American Landmark is offering San Antonio educators a year of free rent, valued near $12,000, in exchange for three hours of weekly tutoring…
Splitting Rent With a Roommate: How Much You Save in Every Big City
Renting a one-bedroom solo is expensive. Splitting a two-bedroom with a roommate saves $700 to $1,200 a month in the priciest US cities. Her…
Rent Is Falling, but It Still Costs Far More Than Before the Pandemic
Rent is falling in many cities, but zoom out and the typical US rent is still about 36% above its January 2020 level. Even Austin, cooling f…
Scammers Are Cloning Real Rental Listings on TikTok and Charging Fake Application Fees
Scammers are copying legitimate rental listings, photos and all, and reposting them on TikTok at deep discounts to collect application fees …
What Credit Score Do You Need to Rent an Apartment?
Many landlords look for a score around 620 to 670 or higher, but income, rental history, and a few smart moves matter just as much. Here is …
Nearly 1 in 5 Residents Would Consider Leaving Texas Over Housing Costs
A Texas Affiliation of Affordable Housing Providers survey found nearly one in five Texans would consider leaving the state over housing cos…
New Jersey Bans Landlords From Using RealPage-Style Rent-Setting Software
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a bill banning landlords from using RealPage-style algorithms to set rents, calling it collusion by al…
How to Break a Lease Without Losing Your Deposit
Breaking a lease does not have to cost you your security deposit. Here is how to read your options, use your legal protections, and walk awa…
The Great Rent Divergence: The Sun Belt Is Cooling as the Midwest Heats Up
By RentDataNow's Rent Reality Score, the Sun Belt metros that boomed in the pandemic are now renting below trend, while cheap Midwest cities…
Texas Is a Renter's Market Right Now, With Rent Bargains in Almost Every Major City
RentDataNow's Rent Reality Score shows most big Texas cities renting below their own long-term trend, with Austin, Garland and Denton among …
San Francisco's AI Boom Pushed 2-Bedroom Rents to a Record $4,257, Pricing Out Longtime Locals
An AI hiring surge and tight housing stock have pushed San Francisco's average 2-bedroom rent to $4,257, the highest in the country. One fam…
Washington Landlords Can Raise Rent Up to 10% in 2027 Under the State's Rent Cap
Washington's Department of Commerce set the 2027 cap on annual rent increases at 10%, the maximum the state's new rent law allows. On a typi…
What Utilities Actually Cost in an Apartment (and How to Budget Them)
Rent is only half your housing cost. Here is what electricity, gas, water, trash, and internet really run in an apartment, plus how to budge…
It Takes 5 Minimum Wage Workers to Afford a One-Bedroom in Atlanta
A new Best Interest Financial and Clever Real Estate study finds Atlanta has the widest rent-to-wage gap in the country, with a minimum wage…
An Evicted Utah Tenant Is Charged With Listing Her Landlord's Home for Rent in Retaliation
Police say a Utah woman got revenge on the manager who evicted her by posting the manager's home for rent online. The case is personal, but …
Rent Increase Laws by State: How Much Can a Landlord Raise Rent?
There is no federal limit on rent increases, and rules differ sharply from one state to the next. Here is a clear, high-level guide to state…
Rising Rents Are Pushing Young Men Home, Out of Work, and Away From Marriage, a Study Finds
A new study draws a direct line from decades of rising rents to more noncollege-educated men living with their parents, dropping out of the …
Police Say a Jacksonville Woman Earned Thousands by Renting Out Homes She Didn't Own. How to Avoid Fake-Landlord Scams.
Police arrested a Jacksonville woman they say ran a years-long Facebook Marketplace scam, posing as a landlord for homes she had no right to…
A Facebook Marketplace Rental Scam Left a Mableton Mom Displaced. Here Is How to Protect Yourself.
A Georgia mother paid rent and a deposit to a fake landlord who had copied a real for-sale listing. The scam is common, and the warning sign…
Average Rent by Apartment Size in America: Studio to 4-Bedroom
What does a studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, or larger actually cost across the US in 2026? Here are the national numbers by apartment size…
How to Spot a Rental Scam Before You Lose a Deposit
A rental deal far below market is the loudest scam warning there is. Here is how to spot fake listings and verify a landlord before your dep…
Does Renters Insurance Cover Water Damage, Leaks, and Floods?
Water is the most confusing thing in a renters policy. A burst pipe is usually covered. A flood almost never is. Here is exactly which water…
How to Rent an Apartment Out of State Without Seeing It First
Renting sight-unseen across state lines is doable when you research like a pro, run a live video walkthrough, verify the landlord is real, a…
Congress Targets ‘Rent Now, Pay Later’ Services
A Florida congressman is pressing federal regulators to investigate the fast-growing 'rent now, pay later' industry, warning the installment…
Bellingham Could Ban the Rent-Pricing Algorithms Blamed for Inflating Rents
A Bellingham ballot measure that would bar landlords from using rent-setting software like RealPage moved closer to the November ballot. Her…
NYC Rent Board Approves First-Ever Two-Year Rent Freeze
New York City's Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze rents on about 1 million stabilized apartments for two years. Here is what it covers, …
Myrtle Beach Rent Prices in 2026
Myrtle Beach draws snowbirds, retirees, and remote workers chasing the coast on a budget. Here is what renting actually costs in 2026, how i…
Phoenix Suburbs Rent in 2026: Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Glendale, and Scottsdale Compared
The Phoenix suburbs are one of the few big metros where rent is flat or falling and still a genuine value. Here is what Mesa, Tempe, Chandle…
The Best New Jersey Commuter Towns by Rent: Where to Live and Save Across the Hudson
You can keep the New York commute and cut the rent by crossing the river. Here is what the New Jersey towns along the Hudson actually cost i…
How to Rent an Apartment With Bad Credit (Under 600)
A credit score under 600 makes renting harder, not impossible. Here are the moves that actually get landlords to say yes, from offering a bi…
The Rent Rule of Thumb: How Much Should You Actually Spend on Rent?
The 30 percent rule and the 50/30/20 budget are the two rules of thumb everyone quotes for rent. Here is what each one really means, where i…
The Texas City that Stayed Affordable. San Antonio Rent Prices in 2026
San Antonio is the most affordable of the big Texas metros, with a $1,365 median rent that actually fell over the past year. Here is what th…
Denver Rent Prices in 2026: What the Data Actually Shows
Denver rent has leveled off near $1,846 after years of climbing. Aurora is the metro value play, Boulder is the premium, and a few suburbs a…
Best Cities for Filipino-Americans to Rent
Filipino-American communities run from Daly City, the unofficial Pinoy capital, to fast-growing hubs in Las Vegas and Virginia Beach. Rent a…
What Credit Score Do You Need to Rent an Apartment?
Most landlords look for a credit score around 620 to 650, but there is no legal minimum and plenty of ways to get approved below it. Here is…
The Most Overheated Rental Markets in America
Using our Rent Reality Score, these large US cities are renting furthest above their own 10-year trend. The Bay Area, New York, Chicago, and…
Most Affordable Cities in Florida for Renters
Florida has a reputation for being expensive, and in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and the South Florida corridor, that reputation is earned. But …
Where Can You Live Alone on $50,000 a Year?
On a $50,000 salary the 30% rule puts your rent ceiling at $1,250 a month. That rules out most coastal cities and a significant chunk of the…
What Happens if You Can't Pay Rent?
Missing a rent payment is stressful, and the consequences depend heavily on how you handle it and how quickly. The worst outcomes, eviction …
Frisco vs McKinney Rent Prices in 2026
Frisco and McKinney are the two most searched suburbs in the northern Dallas corridor. They sit adjacent to each other along the US-75 and D…
The Most Undervalued Rental Markets in America Right Now
Using our Rent Reality Score, these ten large US cities are renting furthest below their own 10-year trend. Metro Phoenix, Florida’s Gulf Co…
How Is Gen Z Affording Rent?
The honest answer is: many of them aren't, at least not comfortably. Gen Z entered the rental market during one of the sharpest rent increas…
Is $1,000 a Month for Rent a Lot?
Whether $1,000 a month is a lot for rent depends on two things: where you're renting and what you earn. The same $1,000 buys a spacious two-…
Why Duluth and Suwanee, GA are Among the Best Places to Live for Koreans in America
The Korean-American community in metro Atlanta has concentrated in a specific corridor along and north of I-85 in Gwinnett County, and for g…
Best Cities for Remote Workers on a $60,000 Salary
A $60,000 remote salary is enough to live well in a lot of American cities and barely enough in others. The 30% rule puts the ceiling at $1,…
What are the best cities for renters with dogs?
Renting with a dog costs more than the listed rent. Most apartments charge a non-refundable pet deposit of $200 to $500 and a monthly pet re…
Rent Prices in Alpharetta vs Johns Creek in 2026
Alpharetta and Johns Creek sit side by side in north Fulton County, share similar demographics, and both rank among the wealthiest suburbs i…
Northern Dallas Suburbs Rent Prices in 2026: Where Your Money Goes Furthest
The northern Dallas suburbs stretch from Richardson and Garland just outside the city limits to Prosper and Celina nearly 40 miles north, an…
Northern Atlanta Suburbs Rent Prices in 2026: Where Your Money Goes Furthest
The northern Atlanta suburbs span one of the widest rent ranges of any metro corridor in the Southeast. Norcross starts at $1,461 a month an…
Best Cities for Renters in their 30s
Renting in your 30s sits in an awkward middle ground. You've outgrown the pure financial-survival calculus of a first apartment, but the buy…
Best School Districts in Dallas on a $2,000/month Rental Budget
Dallas-Fort Worth has some of the most sought-after school districts in Texas, but the rent you'll pay to live inside them varies enormously…
Cities Where Renting Still Beats Buying in 2026
At a 6.8% mortgage rate with a 20% down payment, buying a median-priced home costs more per month than renting a median apartment in every m…
The Worst Months to Rent an Apartment
Timing a lease signing can save you real money. The rental market has a consistent seasonal pattern that most renters ignore because they're…
Best Cities To Rent With a $1,500 a Month Budget
A $1,500 monthly rent budget puts you in a different conversation depending on where you're looking. In San Francisco it doesn't get you a p…
Seattle Rent Prices in 2026
Seattle's median rent is $2,193 a month as of April 2026, up 1.29% year over year. Modest growth for a city that spent much of the past deca…
Best Places to Rent in Retirement in 2026
Renting in retirement is more common than it used to be, and more financially sensible than many people expect. No maintenance costs, no pro…
Best Cities for New College Grads in 2026
The first apartment after college is a financial stress test. Entry-level salaries in most fields run $42,000 to $58,000, and the rent you c…
Atlanta Rent Prices in 2026
Atlanta's median rent is $1,879 a month as of April 2026, up 2.01% year over year. It's a measured increase for a city that absorbed one of …
Best Cities for Renters Over 40 in 2026
Renting in your 40s and beyond involves a different set of priorities than it did in your 20s. The bar scene matters less than the hospital …
Sun Belt Rent Is Falling. Here's Where and Why.
For many years, the Sun Belt rental story was about how fast rents were rising. Cities that had been considered affordable by national stand…
The Catch With Cleveland Ohio's Cheap Rent
Cleveland's median rent is $1,388 a month. A one-bedroom averages $985. By any national comparison, those numbers look like relief: roughly …
Atlanta Rent Prices by Neighborhood in 2026
Atlanta's citywide median rent is $1,879 a month as of April 2026, up 2.01% year over year. That headline number covers a city where the nei…
Tampa Rent Prices in 2026
Tampa's median rent is $1,950 a month as of March 2026, down 2.4% year over year. That puts Tampa among a small group of major Florida citie…
Phoenix Rent Prices in 2026
Here is what renters are actually paying across Phoenix and the surrounding metro right now, broken down by bedroom size, neighborhood, and …
The Cities Miami Renters Move to When They Do the Math
Unaffordability is why Miami has become one of the highest-outbound metros in the country for renters who finally do the math and decide to …
House Poor on a Renter's Budget: The Cities Where Rent Eats Everything
The 30% rule is the most repeated piece of financial advice in rental housing: spend no more than 30% of your gross income on rent. It sound…
Houston Rent Prices in 2026: What the Data Actually Shows
Houston is the cheapest of the four major Texas metros right now, and it is not particularly close...
Philadelphia Rent Prices in 2026: What the Data Actually Shows
Philadelphia has a split personality as a rental market. Here's what the data actually shows neighborhood by neighborhood...
How to Find the Best Rental Price Before You Sign
Here's a more systematic approach to actually finding the best rental price before you sign anything...
Dallas Rent Prices in 2026: What the Data Actually Shows
Dallas doesn't get the same rental market attention as Austin or Houston, but it should. It's one of the largest renter-majority cities in T…
Why Your Rent Went Up Even Though the Market Is Cooling
The headlines say rents are down. National median asking rent has fallen for over 29 consecutive months year over year. You read about citie…
Is Midtown Atlanta Worth the Premium? What You Get for $2,000+ a Month
Midtown Atlanta is the most expensive place to rent in the city. One-bedroom apartments average around $2,000 to $2,100 a month. Two-bedroom…
Month-to-Month vs. Annual Lease: Which One Makes More Sense Right Now?
The choice between a month-to-month lease and a 12-month lease used to be pretty simple. Month-to-month costs more but gives you flexibility…
Which Sun Belt City Is the Best Deal for Renters Right Now?
The Sun Belt spent the last five years being one of the most expensive places in America to rent. Cities that were once affordable alternati…
What Renters Insurance Actually Covers and Why You Need It
About 45 percent of renters in the U.S. don't have renters insurance. The main reasons are thinking the landlord's policy covers them, or as…
Median Income vs. Rent Prices: The Cities Where the Math Actually Works
The 30 percent rule says you shouldn't spend more than 30 percent of your gross income on rent. By that measure, renting in America is broke…
The U.S. Cities With the Youngest Renter Populations in 2026
The national median age of renters is 41. But that number hides enormous variation across cities. Some markets skew dramatically younger, dr…
The Cities Where Rent Is Actually Dropping in 2026
After three years of near-constant rent increases, a meaningful number of U.S. cities are now seeing rents move in the other direction. Not …
How to Get Your Security Deposit Back in Full
The average security deposit is one to two months' rent. In cities like New York, San Francisco, or Seattle, that's a significant chunk of m…
When Your Landlord Raises Rent More Than You Expected: What Are Your Options?
You open the renewal notice and the number is higher than you expected. Maybe it's a 10 percent jump. Maybe it's more. Your first reaction i…
The Most Affordable Mid-Size Cities to Rent in Right Now
The Hidden Costs of Renting Nobody Talks About
You found a place for $1,600 a month. You budget $1,600 a month. Then the first few months happen and you realize you're spending closer to …
Should You Rent or Buy Right Now?
It's one of the biggest financial decisions most people will ever make, and the answer genuinely depends on where you live, how long you pla…
How to Negotiate Your Rent Renewal (Without Threatening to Leave)
Most renters get a renewal notice, wince at the number, and sign it anyway. Either they don't know negotiation is an option, or they assume …
The Best Month to Sign a Lease (It's Probably Not When You Think)
Most people sign a lease when they need to move, not when the market is in their favor. That's understandable. But if you have any flexibili…