Cotality: Single-family rent prices rise 2.9% in March

Los Angeles had the fastest growth among major U.S. metros at 6.8%. This was likely driven in part by housing supply shifts following the January wildfires. In contrast, Dallas saw the weakest rent performance, with prices falling 0.5% compared to March 2024.

“Single-family rent growth picked up for the third consecutive month in March, appearing to have bottomed out in December of last year,” Molly Boesel, Cotality’s senior principal economist, said in a statement.

“National trends are firming. Markets with large numbers of new rental units coming online showed softness in single-family rents, as these new units give renters some bargaining power. This can be seen in the single-family rent growth in Dallas, which showed an annual decrease of 0.5% in March.”

Washington, D.C., also posted strong gains overall, with rents increasing 6% year over year. And while Dallas saw rent growth fall into negative territory, Miami also remained sluggish with an increase of only 1.5%.

High-end rentals outpaced the national growth trend as prices climbed by 3.5% year over year, up from 2.9% growth one year ago. Conversely, low-end rentals saw price appreciation slow from 2.7% to 2.1% during the same period. Annualized gains for both detached and attached units were 2.8% in March 2025.