WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) has found that 75.4 percent of apartment households paid rent as of Dec. 6. NMHC surveyed its network of 11.4 million professionally managed units as part of its Rent Payment Tracker metric. The most recent figure is an 894,864-household decrease, or 7.8 percent, from Dec. 6, 2019. The December numbers are also a 500-basis point drop from Nov. 6, 2020, though the NMHC notes that Dec. 6, 2020, fell on a weekend, meaning the data might not be a true direct comparison.
“While the initial rent collection figures for the first week of December are concerning, only a full month’s results will paint a complete picture,” says Doug Bibby, president of Washington, D.C.-based NMHC. “However, it should not come as a surprise that a rising number of households are struggling to make ends meet. As the nation enters a winter with increasing COVID-19 case levels and even greater economic distress — as indicated by last week’s disquieting employment report — it is only a matter of time before both renters and housing providers reach the end of their resources.”
NMHC releases the survey in partnership with apartment management platforms RealPage, ResMan, Yardi, Entrata and MRI Software.