By Julian Mura-Kröger, NLIHC Research Intern and Mackenzie Pish, NLIHC Research Analyst
On June 23, NLIHC released findings from its first-ever National Renter Survey, a nationally representative survey focused on renters’ under-explored experiences and opinions related to housing. The 2025 National Renter Survey Report sheds light on renters’ experiences with moving and displacement, housing costs and assistance, accessibility needs, and the safety and habitability of rental housing.
The survey was developed by NLIHC’s Research team with input from a 20-member advisory committee, tenant leaders, housing advocates, and researchers, as well as NLIHC board members, State and Tribal Partners, and Tenant Collective alumni. NLIHC partnered with research firm ICF to test and administer the survey. Individuals needed to be current renters (with or without paying rent) at least 18 years of age to be eligible to participate in the survey. Respondents were able to complete the survey online or by phone in English or Spanish and were offered an Amazon digital gift card for their time. The National Renter Survey collected responses from 3,734 eligible renters across the U.S. between July and December 2025.
The report finds that an estimated 30 million adult renters have moved at least once in the last two years. A greater share of movers with household incomes below $25,000 moved three or more times (20.9%) compared to those with incomes at or above $25,000 (7.1%). Affordability factors served as both motivators and barriers to moving. Among households who considered moving in the last two years but ultimately did not move, 38.4% reported being unable to afford their current rent as a reason for wanting to move; 70% reported that they did not move because they could not find a different home with affordable rent.
More than one in every six renters said their households “always” or “often” struggled to pay rent on time in the last two years, resorting to measures like working extra hours or multiple jobs, taking on debt, or cutting costs to pay rent. This experience was more common among lower-income renters, renters who identify as Black or African American, and renters who have or live with someone who has a disability or chronic health condition. Over half of renters (54.8%) who struggled to pay rent could not pay some or all of the rent on time, were charged a fee for late rent, or both at some point in the last two years; one in ten of these renters said this difficulty resulted in some form of eviction. These unaffordable rents can be exacerbated by junk fees—for example, 35.0% of renters are charged convenience or service fees in their current home for paying rent in a particular way, such as with a credit or debit card, check, or cash. The report also finds that many renters who might benefit from housing assistance are not able to access it. Only 15.1% of renters who stopped receiving housing assistance sometime in the last two years said their household stopped receiving it because they no longer needed it. Of renters whose households stopped receiving housing assistance in the last two years, more than one-quarter still had household incomes below $25,000 and more than half had incomes below $50,000.
The report estimates that 10.2 million adult renters in the U.S. either need or live with someone who needs accessibility features in their home to live safely and independently. Nearly all of these renters (87.9%) are older adults aged 62 and above, have a disability or chronic health condition, or live with at least one person with these characteristics. Most renters’ household accessibility needs are going unmet—at least 65.0% of renters whose households need mobility features and 77.1% of renters whose households need sensory features do not have them in their current home. Over forty percent of renters with household accessibility needs say landlords are typically unwilling to add accessibility features when asked to do so. Accessibility needs often overlap with affordability concerns: over a third of renters with household accessibility needs have household incomes below $25,000, while only 16.7% of renters without these needs have household incomes below $25,000. Furthermore, a greater share of renters with household accessibility needs (26.5%) report that they “often” or “always” struggled to pay rent on time in the last two years relative to renters without these needs (13.7%).
About 60% of renters experienced one or more habitability issues in their current home over the last two years. A greater share of renters with household incomes below $50,000 reported experiencing at least one habitability issue (65.6%) compared to those with incomes at or above $50,000 (57.1%). A quarter of renters who contacted their landlord about a habitability concern reported that their landlord responded but did not try to fix the problem or did not respond at all. A third of renters who reported at least one habitability issue said they want to move because of these issues; however, 22.2% of these renters cannot afford to move, a barrier that was more commonly reported among lower-income renters. Nearly 80% of renters agreed with the idea that rental homes should be required to pass periodic inspections conducted by an authorized agency to ensure those homes are safe to live in.
NLIHC’s 2025 National Renter Survey Report builds on existing national data and research around the characteristics and struggles of the 46 million renter households in the United States. The findings from this survey further emphasize the need for greater investments from federal, state, and local governments into housing subsidies for the lowest-income renters and resources to support the preservation and development of affordable, accessible rental homes. In addition, these findings demonstrate the importance of enforceable tenant protections policies that ensure renters can exercise their rights while applying for housing and throughout their tenancies.
To learn more about the 2025 National Renter Survey Report and read the full report, visit: https://nlihc.org/national-renter-survey