When comparing rental demand by age segments, Baby Boomers stand out as the fastest growing group across the rental market.

The growing popularity of single-family rentals as a housing option for Millennials is skewing the multifamily inventory toward amenity-rich larger buildings. At the same time, the trend is helping consolidate smaller apartment assets.

We recently examined trends in how today’s renters are searching for apartments. Let’s now take a look a why renters decide to make the move — though it turns out they are choosing to do so less frequently.

Traditional word of mouth referrals and Internet searches are most popular among renters seeking small building rentals. But search modes vary with the end purpose of the move.

As apartment developments find new takers in the suburban areas of the largest US metros and regional transit connectivity continues to improve, more small building households are beginning to give up cars.

The commute choice of apartment renters appears to be at a tipping point — more recent suburban renters are ditching their cars for rides on the train or bus.

While Internet access makes steady inroads in small apartment buildings, renter preference for faster connectivity is shifting access to newer technologies.

As Millennials age, their preference for rental accommodations continues to diversify across apartment types, with small apartment buildings now positioned to cater more to the youngest renters in this cohort.

Autonomous vehicle (AV) and ride-share technology have the potential to fundamentally alter the relationship between work and housing locations. But what does today’s commute look like for apartment renters?

While a larger share of small building households own vehicles, growth in ownership was slower compared to large buildings for the post-crisis period.