DC Area Rents Fell For The Final Four Months Of 2025

• January 6th

by UrbanTurf Staff

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The DC area closed out 2025 with four consecutive months of declining rents, with monthly rents dropping 3.7% year-over-year, according to the latest data from ApartmentList. The report found that rents fell 1.7% in November, followed by another 1.6% decline in December.

The primary culprit? Too many apartments and not enough renters. In 2024, the country saw over 600,000 new multifamily units hit the market — the most since 1986 — with construction remaining elevated through 2025. The national vacancy rate reached a record 7.2% in November, and in the DC region, the rate was closer to 8%. 

Seasonal factors didn't help. November is historically the rental market's slowest month as fewer people move during cold weather and the holidays. That seasonal slowdown, combined with already-high vacancy rates, created a perfect storm. Landlords in the region, facing weak demand and oversupply, had little choice but to offer concessions and lower asking rents to fill units before year's end.

DC's 3.7% annual decline outpaced the national average of 1.1%, ranking the area 96th among the nation's 100 largest cities for December rent growth. While some markets like Providence saw rent increases of over 5%, DC joined Sun Belt cities like Austin (down 6.8%) in experiencing steep declines. 

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/dc_rents_fell_for_the_final_four_months_of_2025/24191.