Current Reports

Affordable Housing Trends Report Spring 2024

As housing costs spiral, rental affordability has become a more urgent issue, burdening a greater number of Americans. Arbor’s Affordable Housing Trends Report Spring 2024, developed in partnership with Chandan Economics, examines the major policies and programs shaping the marketplace at a time when overdue federal funding expansions have increased agency budgets.

Articles

What Is Driving Lifestyle Renter Demand?

Lifestyle renters — those who have the means to own but prefer to rent or are willing to pay more for apartments with amenities — have become a key driver of rental demand in single-family rental homes, build-to-rent communities, and other types of high-quality multifamily housing. With this small yet influential demographic growing, our research teams examine and explain the factors driving lifestyle renter demand.

Articles

Build-to-Rent Well-Positioned to Fill Housing Market Gap

With nearly one-fifth of multifamily properties now over 65 years old, it’s time to consider solutions for rejuvenating the rental housing stock in the U.S. While building rehabs are a tried-and-true solution, build-to-rent (BTR) is an alternative that is well-positioned to expand as Americans increasingly favor renting over homeownership.

Articles

U.S. Added 514,000 New Rental Households in 2023

In a year when inflation and elevated interest rates weakened affordability, the rental housing sector strengthened and expanded. An analysis of newly released U.S. Census Bureau Housing Vacancies and Homeownership data shows the number of rental households climbed in 2023.

ISS Chart

ISS See the below ISS chart for guidance on finding information and resources related to ESG at Arbor Realty Trust. Please reach out to [email protected] with any questions.        

General: 800.ARBOR.10

Multifamily lender Arbor Realty Trust offers $2 million rental assistance program for May and June

Arbor Realty Trust offers rental assistance program

Program allows unemployed tenants to repay rent once they’re back to work

One of Fannie Mae’s top 10 multifamily lenders, Arbor Realty Trust, has launched a $2 million rental assistance program to help tenants who’ve lost their jobs due to COVID-19. The program advances May and June rent payments and allows tenants to repay once they’re re-employed.

Focusing on tenants who live in multifamily properties financed through Arbor, the program not only fills the gap of rent for the tenants but also protects the property owners of those buildings, the company said in a statement.

“The next few months will be very difficult for many renters whose incomes have been significantly impacted by COVID-19,” Arbor’s President and CEO Ivan Kaufman said in an email to HousingWire. “We certainly realize that, and in a proactive effort to supplement government relief efforts and leverage private capital to protect the multifamily ecosystem, we created a unique program that will help thousands of the tenants across the nation.”

Here’s how the program works: Arbor is contributing $1 million to the program and participating property owners will match Arbor’s advances, dollar-for-dollar, totaling $2 million. The property owners must invest at least $10,000 and up to $100,000 in the program. Those property owners then work with their tenants to complete the online application, and the funds are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To qualify, tenants must:
– Live in a property of an Arbor borrower who agrees to participate in the program and match Arbor’s funds
– Currently pay $2,000 or less in monthly rent
– Be in good standing with consistent on-time payments
– Submit proof of 30% income decline via an employer letter
– Provide documentation of unemployment and/or insurance benefits, government assistance and other forms of income sources

With May’s rent due in a week, an Arbor spokesman said its goal is to review the applications within 48 hours and notify the property owners so they can update the tenants. If approved, the advance payment goes to the property owner to cover the tenant’s rental payment. The tenants then have up to three years to pay back the May and June rent payments at zero interest, the spokesman said.

A company spokesman said the rental assistance program could help as many as 2,000 and 3,000 tenants.

xxx