US rents finally drop after years of relentless hikes
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Hello and welcome. US rents stop going up after many years. They go down now. Is this good news that stays, or prices go up again soon? Marcus, real estate expert. Yolanda, renter advocate. Derek, apartment builder.
Marcus, what does the data really tell us right now?
This relief is temporary. Apartment List shows $1,388 in September. That is only 0.4% below last year. But in April it was 1.6% below. So the drop is getting smaller, fast.
Yolanda, does that mean renters lose protection soon?
Wait. A 0.4% drop? That is five dollars a month. Renters never got the big rise back. The rent went up for years, then fell a little. That is not relief.
Derek, you built thousands of apartments. Can builders keep building if rents stay this low?
No. Not at these rents. New projects went down more than 40% from 2023 to 2025. We stopped. That is why Redfin says rents go up 2 or 3% again.
No way. That Redfin number is the problem, not your reason. Rents go up 3% again. Then your companies are fine. And renters are back at the start. We need rules.
No, no, wait. Rules did not build Austin. Supply did. Yardi shows Austin rents down 2.8% in August. That came from cranes, not laws.
Right, Derek.
Rules do not build apartments. From where I sit, the issue is simple. Santa Monica has rules. Austin built a lot. Austin rents fell 2.8%. Vacancy at 7% did that.
Key vocabulary
- rents — Money paid regularly to live in a property
- renter — A person who pays to live in someone else's property
- apartment — A flat or set of rooms for living in a building
- relief — A feeling or situation of being freed from pain or worry
- temporary — Lasting for a limited time only
- vacancy — An empty space or unoccupied position in a building
Comprehension questions
- Why does Marcus think the rent drop is temporary?
- What does Yolanda think about the 0.4% rent drop?
- Why did Derek stop building new apartments?
- What does Marcus say built Austin's lower rents?
- How does Derek explain why Austin rents fell more than Santa Monica rents?
True or false?
- Rents in September were 0.4% below the price in September of the year before. T / F
- The rent drop got bigger from April to September. T / F
- Austin rents fell 2.8% according to Yardi data. T / F
- New apartment projects went down more than 40% from 2024 to 2026. T / F
Fill the gaps
- US stop going up after many years.
- Yolanda, advocate.
- Derek, builder.
- This is temporary.
- at 7% did that.
Discuss in pairs
- Is it better for renters to have rules that stop building, or to have builders make many new apartments? Why?
- Do you think rents will go up 2 or 3% again soon, or stay low? What could change this?
- If you were a builder or a renter, what would you want the city to do about apartments and prices?
The whole debate, free every day Students can hear the full 6-minute episode with a synced transcript in the RoundTalk app.
Get it on Google Play Download on the App StoreAnswer key
Comprehension- Because the drop is getting smaller fast – it was 1.6% below last year in April, but only 0.4% in September.
- She thinks it is not real relief for renters because it is only five dollars a month.
- Because rents are too low – new projects went down more than 40% from 2023 to 2025.
- Supply did, not rules – Austin built many apartments, which made rents fall 2.8%.
- Austin built a lot of apartments and has high vacancy at 7%, but Santa Monica has rules that stop building.
- True
- False
- True
- False
- rents
- renter
- apartment
- relief
- Vacancy
roundtalk · https://www.getroundtalk.com/listen/english/a2/us-rents-finally-drop-after-years-of-relentless-hikes/worksheet/