What are the features of rental properties that are attracting interest in today’s competitive market? Buildium surveyed more than 1,500 U.S. renters to find out.
When it comes to amenities, what renters told us boils down to two key points:
- Features of the unit (where renters spend most of their time) are more influential than shared amenities, particularly as renters’ interest has risen in smaller rental properties that aren’t as conducive to community amenities. For example, renters are more interested in air conditioning and an in-unit washer and dryer than they are in a community pool or fitness center.
- The characteristics of the neighborhood where the rental property is located are, in some cases, as influential as the characteristics of the property itself. For example, renters say that they’re more influenced by a neighborhood’s relative safety than they are by any other amenity that we asked about.
What are the specific amenities and characteristics that renters are interested in at the unit, community, and neighborhood levels? You’ll find the answers in the following infographic:
How Renters’ Amenity Preferences Vary by Property Type
Though many of the same amenities are in demand regardless of the property type renters live in—for example, air conditioning, a washer and dryer, and a safe neighborhood—there is some variation in amenity preferences between residents of rental homes versus apartment buildings. Here are the top characteristics and features that renters look for in properties of each size, listed in descending order of their popularity among our survey respondents.
Top Amenities for Single-Family Rental Homes
- Safe neighborhood
- Air conditioning
- Ability to have a pet
- In-unit washer & dryer
- Quiet neighborhood
- Private outdoor space
- Dishwasher
- High-speed internet
- Close to stores & restaurants
- Garbage pick-up
Top Amenities for Multifamily Rental Homes
- Safe neighborhood
- Air conditioning
- In-unit washer & dryer
- Close to stores & restaurants
- High-speed internet
- Quiet neighborhood
- Private outdoor space
- Ability to have a pet
- Parking
- Dishwasher
Top Amenities for Small Apartment Buildings (10 Units or Fewer)
- Safe neighborhood
- Air conditioning
- In-unit washer & dryer
- Close to stores & restaurants
- High-speed internet
- Parking
- Quiet neighborhood
- Dishwasher
- Laundry room (if no washer/dryer in the unit)
- Private outdoor space
Top Amenities for Medium-Sized Apartment Buildings (11 to 50 Units)
- In-unit washer & dryer
- Air conditioning
- Safe neighborhood
- Quiet neighborhood
- High-speed internet
- Close to stores & restaurants
- Parking
- Ability to have a pet
- Sound-proofed walls
- Close to work, school & transportation
Top Amenities for Large Apartment Buildings (More than 50 Units)
- Safe neighborhood – 80%
- In-unit washer & dryer – 75%
- Air conditioning – 70%
- High-speed internet – 58%
- Close to stores & restaurants – 56%
- Parking – 56%
- Dishwasher – 54%
- Quiet neighborhood – 52%
- Sound-proofed walls – 48%
- Fitness center – 45%
The 2025 State of the Property Management Industry Report
All of these insights were drawn from Buildium’s 2025 Property Management Industry Report, which also shares data on renters’ moving plans for the next year and how property management companies can attract and retain great residents to their properties. Download your free copy now.
