Near-Term Struggles and Long-Term Strength for Multifamily

Recent reports on the apartment market show year-over-year rent growth heading into negative territory after 18+ months of deceleration from its peak in late 2021/early-2022. Alongside lower rent growth and higher vacancy, apartment operators contend with rising expenses and higher interest rates, and the sharp increase in multifamily loan maturities in the coming months is a dramatic example of the potential for near-term distress in the market. Despite these ongoing challenges, the long-term fundamentals of the apartment market are strong. Climbing homebuying costs and consistently-high single-family home valuations signify continued high housing demand in spite of high interest rates, and the apartment market remained relatively stable while adding the most new apartment supply in decades, a mark of resilience for the sector that will strengthen as new supply is expected to decrease in the coming years.