What is Shaping Resident Retention in 2026?
Discover what residents value most, where their experience is falling short, and the factors influencing whether they stay or move across the US rental market.
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What Are US Residents Telling Us?
Say repairs are a concern
Put safety first
Identify rent increases as a critical move-out trigger
Could stay longer for the right experience
Trusted by Leading Space Providers Worldwide
Explore the State of the Tenant 2026 US
Four parts. One clearer view of what residents expect and what can influence retention.
Part 1: Current Market Landscape
What matters most to residents today?
Explore what residents prioritize when choosing where to live, the biggest pain points in their current experience, and the factors that can influence a decision to move.
44% say repairs are a concern.
Speed of maintenance requests and repairs is the most widespread experience pain point identified in the study.
Figure 1. Repairs is still the 1 pain point by reach: 44% rate it at least a moderate concern. Only 29% say it’s not an issue.
Part 2: Understanding Tenant Segments
Not every resident expects the same experience.
Explore the different priorities and behaviors of the resident segments identified in the research:
Figure 2. The three renter segments represent distinct housing priorities, with Managed Residents seeking reliability and consistency, Value Renters weighing price against quality and transparency, and Launchpads prioritising needs shaped by their life stage and circumstances.
Part 3: Experience Opportunities
Where does the resident journey need attention?
Explore where the rental experience performs well and where operational friction emerges across the journey.
The research highlights opportunities around:
Figure 3. Across the tenant journey, move-in is performing well, but repairs and ongoing communication are the critical weak spots. Rising expectations for clarity, updates, and responsiveness mean operators must elevate transparency across every step.
Part 4: The Dream Experience
What would residents choose if they could design a better rental experience?
Discover which services residents value, what could encourage them to switch communities, and what could strengthen longer-term commitment.
The research explores demand for:
Figure 4. Under a dream-experience scenario, nearly six in ten tenants become willing to stay 12– 24 months — a significant shift from today’s short-term mindset. This shows that great experiences directly translate into stronger commitment and longer stays.
Resident Experience Doesn’t End with a Satisfaction Score
Residents experience a community through everyday moments: maintenance, communication, safety, service and pricing.
The research helps multifamily leaders look beyond the headline score to better understand:
What matters
Which experiences residents value most.
What creates friction
Where the resident journey is falling short.
What puts retention at risk
Which issues residents associate with moving.
What could strengthen commitment
The experiences that can make a community more attractive to stay in.
Where priorities differ
How expectations change across different resident segments.
Built for Leaders Responsible for Resident and Portfolio Performance
The research is particularly relevant for:
Multifamily owner-operators
Understand the resident experiences influencing retention and consistency across communities.
Property operations leaders
Identify the operational experiences creating resident friction.
Asset & portfolio teams
Get a clearer perspective on resident priorities and potential risk across a portfolio.
Resident experience leaders
Understand what residents value and where experience needs attention.
Marketing & reputation leaders
Explore the experiences behind resident perception and reputation.
Build-to-rent operators
Understand the service expectations that can influence the value of the resident experience.
Research Grounded in the US Resident Experience
The State of the Tenant: Market Insights 2026 | US was developed to understand the experiences, priorities and expectations shaping the US rental market.
95% Confidence level
|
±5% Margin of error
The study examines four areas:
- Current Market Landscape
- Understanding Tenant Segments
- Experience Opportunities
- The Dream Experience
FAQs
Understand What Residents Value Before It Becomes a Renewal Problem
Explore the resident priorities, pain points and experience factors shaping rental decisions in 2026.
Recognised for CX Excellence: Summer 2026
