Want to stay up to date on rental industry news? Learn about recent developments in the industry and upcoming industry trends that could impact your business as a landlord or property manager.
Summer is coming to a close, meaning that with the back-to-school season and the seasonal change, many people are busy, particularly in the rental and real estate industry. This can leave you with little time to keep up with changes in the industry over the summer. Fortunately, August 2026’s industry outlook is here to help.
August has seen yet more changes to the rental market, including increases in the cost of rent, which is contributing to renting a home slowly losing the advantage it once had over buying. Additionally, Business Insider has revealed three predictions for the future of the United States housing market, which have potentially far-reaching implications. Finally, Rentec Direct is celebrating ten years of making the Inc. 5000 list this month. Explore these industry news topics and learn how they can impact you as a landlord or housing provider with this month’s industry outlook.
Average Rents Are Approaching $2,000
A report from Zillow indicates that the typical U.S. rent price was $1,962 in July of 2026. This is a 2.3% increase from last year. Some areas, such as New York City, San Francisco, or Boston, have typical rent prices upwards of $3,000. Despite this increase, however, nearly 40% of rentals on Zillow have some form of rent concession offered, an increase from July 2025, which was 35.9%.
Single-family homes have higher rents than multifamily properties, with single-family homes already upwards of $2,000 in typical asking rent. While some major metropolitan areas remain affordable, such as Salt Lake City, Utah, and Austin, Texas, the typical nationwide rent price is quite high. This is part of why the gap in cost between renting and buying a home is shrinking.
Renting is Losing Its Advantage Over Buying
A recent report from Realtor.com indicates that, while renting is still more affordable than buying a starter home in most of the United States, that gap is shrinking rapidly, and it may soon become more affordable to purchase than rent. This is due to the swiftly rising cost of rent in most of the country, paired with the cooling housing market forcing prices to drop this year. In cities such as Orlando, Florida, the cost gap between renting and owning a starter home is only about $19 per month.
Additionally, more starter homes are being built than there have been in the last few years, with 220,000 more homes priced at less than $350,000 than there were in 2022. While down payments may still be challenging, mortgage rates are lower this year than they were last year, and economist Jiayi Xu estimates that the cost of buying a starter home is about $89 less per month than it was this time last year.
Business Insider Reveals 3 Predictions for the Housing Market
While some predictions are positive about the housing market, this article from Business Insider has a more mixed opinion on the subject. Business Insider predicts that mortgage rates, despite being lower than they were last year, will remain above 6% for the next two years or more. They also predict that home prices will see the lowest pace of growth since 2011 as a result of these high mortgage rates. Finally, they predict that the falling prices of stocks are going to impact the housing market.
Learn more: 2026 Market Outlook: How to Dominate a Cooling Rental Market | Webinar Recap
Rentec Direct Celebrates Ten Years on the Inc. 5000 List
This month, it was announced that Rentec Direct has made the Inc. 5000 list, a list of 5,000 businesses that have grown significantly over the past three years. This marks the tenth consecutive year that Rentec Direct has been included in the list. Since the list’s inception nearly five decades ago, only 110 companies have achieved this honor.
Final Thoughts
August has been a busy month in the real estate industry, with the ever-changing landscape of the housing and rental markets. However, these changes may forecast improvements for many housing providers and property investors on the horizon. With these industry outlooks, you can keep track of updates in the industry and keep an eye on the news and legal aspects of your profession. Follow along with Rentec Direct’s monthly industry outlook and news articles to keep up with these developments as they occur. With summer coming to a close, keep recent rental and real estate industry trends in mind and pay close attention to these changes to maximize your success as a housing provider as we head into fall.