January 09, 2026
Housing affordability remains a challenge nationwide, but single-family rentals are an important part of the solution. As homeownership costs continue to rise, more families are choosing to rent single-family homes for the space, stability, and community features they want—often at a lower cost than owning.
Professional housing providers play a limited but meaningful role in the market, owning less than 1% of U.S. rental housing while investing billions annually into home repairs, maintenance, and new construction. These investments support local jobs, improve housing quality, and help expand supply through build-to-rent development.
Limiting investor participation does not address the root cause of affordability challenges: insufficient housing supply. In contrast, increasing housing production—particularly single-family rental homes—has shown measurable affordability improvements in markets where new units have been delivered.
