The national occupancy climbed 110 basis points during the year, and effective rents jumped 4.7% according MPF Research.
Occupancy rates increased to 94.6% at the end of 2011, up from 93.5% a year ago and from 91.8% when the occupancy rates bottomed in late 2009.
MPF Research predicts occupancy rates to increase another 50 basis points, and rents to rise 4.5%.
Northern California’s apartment markets ranked as the nation’s rent growth leaders during calendar 2011, despite the fact that some weakness registered in the performances recorded in parts of the Pacific Northwest specifically during the fourth quarter. Year-over-year, effective rents for new leases jumped 14.6% in San Francisco, 12.3% in San Jose, and 9% in Oakland. With rents down 0.4%, Las Vegas was the nation’s only major apartment market that lost pricing power during calendar 2011.
Rent Growth Leaders in Calendar 2011
| Rank | Metro Area | Annual Rent Growth |
| 1 | San Francisco | 14.6% |
| 2 | San Jose | 12.3% |
| 3 | Oakland | 9.0% |
| 4 | Boston | 8.3% |
| 5 | New York | 7.3% |
| 6 | Austin | 7.2% |
Related: Apartment Vacancies Fall to Lowest in 3 Years in the USA (April 2011) – Top USA Markets for Buying Rental Property – Apartment Rents Rise, Slightly, for First Time in 5 Quarters – It’s Now a Renter’s Market
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“housing rents (as shown by the Zillow rent index) have increased 5.4% in the last year (through July) across the USA. In Boston the increase was 4.5%; Grand Junction, Colorado -4.9%; San Francisco up 8.8%; Washington DC up 7.3%; Raleigh, NC up 1.8% …”