Information about the high cost of rental housing, an intractable problem in many communities, is provided by a variety of surveys and data analysis such as the American Housing Survey, the State of the Nation’s Housing from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, the American Community Survey, and the Census Housing Pulse Survey. For the first time, the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) surveyed 3,700 renters to ask them about specific challenges they face that are often left out of traditional surveys, according to Renee M. Willis, president and CEO of the NLIHC.
The NLIHC’s 2025 National Renter Survey report includes information about renter experiences with moving, housing costs, rental assistance, property conditions and the needs of renter households with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
In addition to highlighting the continuing affordability challenge, the survey revealed some of the obstacles to renter mobility, including fees for security deposits and moving expenses; fear of negative repercussions if renters complain to their landlords about needed repairs or maintenance; and the special needs for people with disabilities or chronic conditions.
This inaugural report provides a national perspective about renter challenges, but the NLIHC hopes to eventually include specific state and local data in future reports.
“Almost Mover” Insights
While the assumption is often made that the lack of affordable housing limits renter mobility, the survey found that there are other factors impeding moving. NLIHC surveyors asked respondents who moved in the past year as well as those who considered but did not move about their experience and found that 70% of “almost movers” were unable to find housing they could afford. Among those who moved, 40% struggled to find a place they could afford during their housing search.
“We found that one in five renters who moved were turned down by at least one landlord before they eventually moved,” said Sarah Abdelhadi, manager, state and local research, NLIHC. “A big obstacle for many is that landlords required their household to have a much higher income than the monthly rent, often three times higher or more.”
Another factor holding back “almost movers” was the inability to pay the security deposit, application fee, or move-in fee. In addition, 15% of those who considered moving but didn’t couldn’t find a landlord who would accept a pet or service animal.
For 5% of almost movers, the landlord wouldn’t accept housing assistance, Social Security income, or disability income for the monthly rent.
Many renters said they lost their housing assistance within the past two years, with 47% reporting that it was because the assistance was short-term or for a limited amount of money.
“One in five renters struggled to pay their rent over the past two years, and that figure was higher for people with disabilities and people of color,” Abdelhadi said. “Among the renters who struggled, 11% received an eviction notice or had to move out.”
The NLIHC recommends increasing housing assistance funding to avoid housing insecurity for low-income household renters.
Accessibility and Habitability
Two other issues impacting renters are accommodations for household members with accessibility challenges and the lack of landlord responsiveness to maintenance and repair issues.
More than half (63%) of renters in the survey said their home lacked needed safety features such as grab bars or a shower seat in the bathroom, while 55% said they didn’t have a needed wheelchair or walker-accessible layout. For households with sensory issues, 83% said they lacked acoustic modifications or noise reduction, and 46% lacked flashing lights to accompany smoke detectors.
“By far the biggest need that developers can address is to use universal design principles when designing new affordable housing or during renovations,” said Andrew Aurand, senior vice president for research, NLIHC. “Even small modifications such as grab bars are important safety features, so it would be helpful to develop housing that can easily be adapted as needed. Installing smoke detectors that flash, not just make sounds, are a simple modification that offers sensory accessibility and safety.”
Nearly two-thirds of renters said they had experienced at least one habitability problem in the past two years, with the most common issue with pests such as cockroaches or mice, followed by electrical issues such as broken lights or switches, and missing or broken fixtures such as sinks, bathtubs, windows, doors, or handrails.
Many renters said their landlords are unwilling to help with these issues, but others (18%) said they were afraid to ask for help because they thought the landlord might raise their rent.
Solutions that renters and the NLIHC suggest include a policy of periodic inspections of rental housing, along with incorporating accessibility features into units during the design and building phase.
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