Class A Pulse
Houston: a city skyline at night

Metro report · TX

Houston

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX metro area

Rent
$1,330
Vacancy
8.4%
Concess.
41%

Photo: Adrian Newell / Unsplash

Asking rent (new leases)

$1,330/mo

1BR $1,132 · 2BR $1,331 · −1.9% vs. a year ago · −0.3% vs. last month

Median rent on new leases, all apartment classes.

As of Oct 2026 · Apartment List Rent Estimates (Oct 2026) · published 2026-10-28

Class A asking rent

Data coming

We only publish a Class A-only figure once we have a free, citable source for it. Until then, use the market-wide number and the concession rate as a guide.

Vacancy

8.4%

8.6% a year ago (−0.2 pts)

Apartment List Vacancy Index (properties listed on its platform, skews professionally managed).

As of Oct 2026 · Apartment List Vacancy Index (Oct 2026) · published 2026-10-28

Concessions

41%

of properties advertise a free month or more, vs. 28% a year ago (+13 pts).

Share of properties advertising at least one free month (or equivalent) on new leases. Median time on market: 38 days.

As of Oct 2026 · Apartment List Concession Rates (Oct 2026) · method

Download the data

Pipeline / new supply

7,108

units in 5+ unit buildings permitted Jan–Sep 2026, vs. 10,975 in Jan–Sep 2025 (−35%). Fewer permits now means less new supply competing for renters once those projects deliver, typically a couple of years out.

Permits are an early signal, not deliveries. Under-construction counts: data coming.

As of Sep 2026 · U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, CBSA monthly (Sep 2026 YTD vs Sep 2025 YTD) · accessed 2026-11-11

Census CBSA file (XLS)

Reader concession sightings

None yet. Seen a free-rent offer at a Class A property here? Send it in; we check each one before it goes up.

Refi read-through

What it means for a refi here

The 10-year Treasury is at 4.88% (−0.03 pts on the week). Lenders size loans on NOI, so rising concessions and flat-to-falling rents squeeze proceeds even if rates hold. Test your loan →

Get Houston and 14 other metros every Friday.