Current Reports

Top Markets for Multifamily Investment Report Spring 2025

Arbor’s Top Markets for Multifamily Investment Report Spring 2025, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, is your roadmap to the best locations to deploy capital. Based on the findings of our exclusive Multifamily Opportunity Matrix, this in-depth analysis assesses economic strength and market capabilities to navigate evolving conditions of the top 50 largest U.S. metros.

Research

Arbor’s data-driven articles and research reports empower multifamily and single-family rental investors and developers to make more profitable financial decisions.

Articles

Renters Account for Majority of Household Growth

The number of rental households climbed nearly 2% last year, as 848,000 more households became renters, an analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancies and Homeownership Survey shows (Chart 1). Rental households also hit a new high of 45.3 million, accounting for more than half of all U.S. household growth in 2024. Weakening affordability, evolving lifestyle preferences, and a limited supply of quality housing all contributed to surging multifamily and single-family rental (SFR) demand.

Articles

Solar Panel Usage Accelerates in Rental Properties

Solar panel installations, which skyrocketed in the U.S. over the last half-century, are projected to double to 10 million in just six years. While installations soared in all types of residences, owner-occupied properties significantly outpaced rentals. However, the evolving economics of solar power may be approaching a tipping point for single-family rental (SFR) operators looking for a differentiator.

Analysis

Small Multifamily Investment Snapshot — March 2025

Amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty, the small multifamily sector remains favorably positioned for stability as the structural need for affordable housing in the U.S. has supported the strength of the sector’s demand profile.

Articles

Top Markets for Rental Occupancy

Nationally, vacancies have risen, but the performance of rental housing is extremely localized. Out of the 75 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, the occupancy rate for all types of rental properties, including single-family rentals, 2-4 family, multifamily, and mobile homes, increased in 36 markets last year, while exceeding 95% in nearly one-third of all markets, according to an analysis of newly released U.S. Census Bureau data.[1] From Grand Rapids, MI, to Columbia, SC, the top markets for rental occupancy show where conditions are tightest and demand is strongest.

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Arbor launches rent assistance program

Arbor launches rent assistance program

Uniondale-based Arbor Realty Trust, one of the country’s largest multifamily lenders, has launched a new rental assistance program to help tenants struggling to pay their rent.

Called the Arbor Rental Assistance Program, the initiative is designed to supplement existing government rent relief programs and leverage private capital to fill critical gaps for people impacted by a loss of income due to COVID-19, according to a company statement.

Existing borrowers of Arbor who own rental properties are eligible for the matching program, in which Arbor will advance up to $1 million that needs to be matched by landlords, bringing the program’s total available advance to $2 million.

The money is earmarked for landlords who have tenants with monthly rents of $2,000 or less that may need help paying their rent for May and June. The advance can be paid back in up to three years, according to an Arbor spokesperson.

“As one of the most active lenders in the industry offering workforce housing loans, we want to do our part to help ease the burden for those who’ve been severely impacted by COVID-19,” Ivan Kaufman, Arbor’s president and CEO, said in the statement. “For those who have unfortunately lost income and are temporarily unable to meet their rent obligations, we are looking to provide some much-needed relief until they are able to stabilize their situations.”