Social housing program gets city task force sign-off in Portland, Maine

The task force encouraged the city to establish pilot programs aimed at complementing the “tools that we already have” to address affordable housing, a city councilmember said.

By Ryan Kushner • Sept. 1, 2026

Notable multifamily policy and legal moves from this summer

Apartment permitting, land use, junk fees and heat violations are among the issues state and local officials have tackled recently.

By Julie Strupp • Aug. 27, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from Multifamily Dive

A roundup of some of Multifamily Dive’s top stories so far this year.

By Multifamily Dive staff

Rents are rising faster in Chicago than other US cities. The mayor wants rental reform.

The proposed reforms target “hidden junk fees” and establish an administrative body to handle rental complaints. Industry groups are pushing back.

By Ryan Kushner • Aug. 26, 2026

Beyond the Rent: The economic signals multifamily leaders should watch this fall

Apartment professionals should keep an eye on the war in Iran, a possible Federal Reserve rate hike and ballooning U.S. debt, among other things.

By Leslie Shaver • Aug. 24, 2026

Zillow, Redfin reach settlement with FTC over rental listing partnership

The companies will continue to partner and Redfin will reenter the online rental housing advertising market, per the agreement.

By Julie Strupp • Aug. 24, 2026

Seattle bans rental ‘junk fees’

The new transparency ordinance, effective July 2027, eliminates administrative service charges, pet rent and package fees and requires upfront pricing for tenants.

By Julie Strupp • Aug. 13, 2026

US Chamber of Commerce launches housing advisory council

The business group aims to build on 21st Century ROAD to Housing law momentum by advancing market-driven policies to increase supply, according to a senior Chamber official.

By Julie Strupp • Aug. 12, 2026

Multifamily rents grew in July, buoyed by Sun Belt: Yardi

The latest rent report offers “hope that markets hit hardest by the development boom are beginning to recover,” according to the real estate data firm.

By Julie Strupp • Aug. 7, 2026

UDR named in rent-pricing class-action lawsuit in San Diego

A former tenant alleges that the landlord illegally set rental rates and occupancy levels using RealPage’s algorithmic pricing software.

By Julie Strupp • Aug. 5, 2026

Tracking algorithmic rent-pricing lawsuits

Software providers RealPage and Yardi, along with a slew of apartment landlords, have landed in legal hot water in recent years over their tech-enabled rent-setting practices.

Aug. 3, 2026

West Coast portfolio helps Essex beat Q2 expectations

Strong supply-demand combined with continued technology sector investments across the Bay Area powered the REIT’s Northern California strength.

By Leslie Shaver • Aug. 3, 2026

Inside the Deal, a CRE Podcast by Berkadia®: Reading the multifamily market beyond the headlines

Multifamily demand is resilient, supply is easing and market conditions are improving overall now.

Aug. 3, 2026

Retrofitting multifamily buildings with modern hardware: 6 tips for simplifying security upgrades

In a market where multifamily property owners are battling downward pressure on rents, attention is shifting to renovations as a way to protect competitive position and pricing power.

July 27, 2026

Multifamily rents ticked up in first half of 2026: Yardi

Gateway and Midwest apartment markets drove the rent price increase, while Sun Belt metros saw negative growth, according to the real estate data firm.

By Julie Strupp • July 16, 2026

RealPage, Willow Bridge face class-action lawsuit in Philadelphia

The new suit alleges that the firms violated the city’s ban on using algorithmic pricing software to set rents. They have both faced similar legal challenges in the past.

By Julie Strupp • July 16, 2026

RealPage buys AI-focused real estate data firm Cherre

The major proptech acquisition aims to address a key problem facing artificial intelligence tools for the housing sector: unvalidated and disconnected data.

By Julie Strupp • July 14, 2026

4 takeaways from the NLIHC national renter survey

Many renters facing unaffordable rents lack other housing options, according to the 2025 National Renter Survey by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

By Ryan Kushner • July 7, 2026

LivCor settles RealPage rent price-fixing suit for $7M

Nine state attorneys general sued the multifamily management firm, which denies the allegations, as part of an ongoing federal antitrust lawsuit.

By Julie Strupp • June 22, 2026

How AI-powered rental search is changing the conversation

AI-powered search is giving renters a new conversational approach to finding an apartment.

June 22, 2026

7 takeaways from Harvard’s 2026 state of housing report

“Construction is down, home sales are flat and cost burdens are up,” the lead author of the annual Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies report said. 

By Ryan Kushner • June 18, 2026

Beyond the Rent: The machines may be coming for us all — even the apartment industry

Operators and dealmakers are focused on using artificial intelligence to become more efficient, but its impact on occupancies and rents could be severe. 

By Leslie Shaver • June 15, 2026

4 reporting and analytics capabilities rental marketers actually want

Rental marketers don’t have a data problem, they have a clarity problem.

June 15, 2026

May rents saw small seasonal gain amid muted renter demand

The spring price increase is cooler than it has been historically, new research from Yardi, RealPage and Apartment List shows.

By Julie Strupp • June 5, 2026

Are rent concessions rising or falling? It’s complicated.

Levels of rent discounts remain high, according to multifamily economists, but these incentives are concentrated in certain geographies and in class C apartments.

By Julie Strupp • June 4, 2026

Renters remain cautious but demand holds steady

Inflation and broad economic uncertainty are leading renters to price-shop and take longer to tour before they finalize their decision, apartment experts say.

By Keith Loria • June 2, 2026