East Coast breaks the rule: Renters can find the most spacious houses for rent in metros famous for compact living

Americans’ love affair with the single-family home has been changing. As incomes are slowly creeping up, but home prices and mortgage rates remain prohibitive, more and more renters are looking for their own win-win property scenario: How could they enjoy the space a single-family home provides and also avoid the stress that comes along with affordability, mortgage rates fluctuations, and maintenance?

Enter the house rental.

The average house rental in U.S. build-to-rent communities boasts 2.5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, spanning a generous 1,355 square feet. That’s less than the typical for-sale single-family home, which reached 2,480 square feet in 2021. However, given the zoning constraints that developers face when building houses for rent and their desire to balance affordability and profit, house rentals in build-to-rent communities emerge as the best option for renters looking for that extra bit of space, convenience, and peace of mind.

So, where can renters get that? Where can they find the most spacious houses for rent that can accommodate their changing needs and their desire for more living space, more privacy, and better housing features and amenities? Point2Homes provides details.

Key Takeaways

• In build-to-rent communities across the 100 largest U.S. metros, single-family homes go from just under 1,000 to 1,800 and even 2,000 square feet, with the added bonus of on-site maintenance and access to pools, fitness centers, playgrounds, and sports courts.
• The most spacious house rentals are where you don’t expect them: Spacious homes are usually the norm in states like Colorado, Texas, Utah, or Arizona. However, when it comes to build-to-rent communities, the East Coast rewrites the rules. Metros in Connecticut, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina dominate the top 10.
• Move over, Texas! With averages of 1,700+ and even 2,000+ square feet, house renters will find the most spacious single-family homes for rent in metros like Bridgeport, CT; Raleigh, NC; Palm Bay, FL; Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, GA.
• In 20 more metros, houses for rent average 1,500 to 1,700 square feet, offering renters plenty of elbow room.
• Space is just one of the perks that single-family home renters can expect: Aside from having maintenance and repairs covered, most of these communities also offer their residents access to pools, gyms, spas and fitness centers, sports courts, and playgrounds.

The Most Spacious Houses for Rent in the Land: Bridgeport Is Way Ahead of the Pack

Available living space varies greatly in the 100 largest U.S. metros, according to data from Yardi Matrix, which covers build-to-rent communities containing at least 50 single-family rental units across the country.

From just under 1,000 square feet in Albuquerque, NM and San Francisco, CA to 2,000+ square feet in Bridgeport, CT, the amount of space renters can get is clearly influenced by local zoning laws, available land, building costs and, of course, demand.

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East Coast Metros Lead the Way in Spacious Single-Family Rentals

The metro that stands out is Bridgeport, CT. Although the average single-family rental in Bridgeport only has two bedrooms and 2.6 bathrooms, the space that house renters get to enjoy is the most extensive of all the metros included in the analysis.

At 2,056 square feet, house rentals in the Connecticut metro are in a league of their own, as North Carolina’s Raleigh, which comes second, only has an average of 1,840 square feet. This, however, is only a minor inconvenience, as house renters who choose to rent in any of the communities from Raleigh, Apex, or Morrisville wouldn’t just be living in some of the most spacious homes for rent; they would be right in the center of the high-tech and life science action, as the Research Triangle is consistently ranked among the top most innovative and technologically and economically-forward regions in the nation. A bit more to the south, Fuquai-Varina also boasts dozens of spacious single-family home rentals, perfect for the millennials who work in the area and would love the extra space to accommodate their changing needs.

Florida’s Palm Bay metro and Washington, D.C. metro area share the third spot, as house rentals here offer 1,738 square feet on average. In Florida, cities like Cocoa, West Melbourne, and Palm Bay lead, as house renters get to enjoy both spacious homes and proximity to the beach and the river. The rental communities in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro are spread across smaller cities and towns like Brambleton, VA; Dulles, VA; Frederick, MD; Fredericksburg, VA; Laurel, MD and Suitland, MD, covering the entire metro.

The East Coast dominates the top, which is quite surprising. This time, it’s not the usual suspects, meaning metros in states like Texas, Colorado, or Utah that take up the top positions in the home size ranking. In fact, when it comes to the most spacious house rentals, renters in Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Maryland, and the capital itself, Washington, D.C. are the winners.

Large Metro, Compact Living? Not Necessarily

High densities usually mean crammed living spaces. The more people want to live in a certain area or city, the busier it gets and the smaller the homes become. That’s why space is such a scarce resource in coastal urban areas. But that doesn’t seem to be the case for house renters.

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Spacious Living in Unexpected Places

In two of the country’s largest and busiest metros—Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA—house renters get around a lavish 1,700 square feet, an average that puts these rental communities in the top five most spacious nationwide.

Although less populous coastal metros like Bridgeport, CT and Raleigh, NC snatched the first two positions when it comes to space, house renters in Washington, D.C.’s rental communities get to enjoy an average of 1,738 square feet of living space, which means the capital may be seventh in terms of population, but it comes in third place when looking at how much space renters in single-family rental communities get.

Philadelphia, PA follows suit, boasting an average living space of 1,500 square feet. And here comes the next surprise: New York doesn’t come last when it comes to space. Of course, this doesn’t include Manhattan or the city’s CBD, but the fact that house rentals in metro New York are above the national average instead of pulling it down speaks volumes about the opportunities that local house renters can get.

East Coast’s busiest hub surprises its house renters with an average living space similar to Houston, TX, which is one of the metros best known for the abundance of elbow room it promises its residents. So where can house renters find this amount of space in the NY metro area? The single-family rental communities in Bellport, NY; Coram, NY; East Setauket, NY; Manorville, NY; Moriches, NY; Edison, NJ; Neptune, NJ; New Windsor, NY; and Tuckerton, NJ are the places across the metro where renters looking for more space have the best chance at finding it.

What is less surprising is the amount of space that the average house renter can expect in California’s most desirable hub, San Francisco, CA. Renters here are looking at less than 1,000 square feet, with the only other metro offering such compact quarters being Albuquerque, NM.

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On-site Maintenance Is King, but Access to Pools, Gyms, and Clubhouses Significantly Improves Quality of Life

Wriggle room, room to roam, breathing space—no matter what you call it, living in a spacious house helps you bring more of the things that you need (a kid’s room, multiple workspaces or offices) and enjoy (a workshop, a reading nook) in one place.

However, space isn’t the only reason renters are drawn to single-family homes for rent. As Yardi Matrix data shows, on-site maintenance, better parking options, storage, more privacy, and a yard, access to a pool, clubhouse, and trails are the main advantages that a build-to-rent community brings to the table. The relief of not having to worry about repairs and maintenance and getting to enjoy access to community gyms, pools, and sports courts cannot be overstated.

And this is where build-to-rent communities in the largest U.S. metros can improve and start 

planning for future demand. Although many house renters in less populous metros have access to community amenities like pools, fitness centers, playgrounds, or sports centers, in the 10 largest metros, not all build-to-rent communities include these popular amenities.

In certain metros, however, house renters are truly lucky: They have access to amenities that not only improve their wellbeing and quality of life, but also offer healthy alternatives to spending their free time.

Aside from boasting the largest average living space, Bridgeport, CT is also one of only nine metros where all the renters have access to a community swimming pool. They also have access to a fitness center and a clubhouse.

All the renters in Little Rock, AR and Cape Coral, FL have access to pools, fitness centers and clubhouses. Healthy practices and reaching daily activity goals is much easier in a community that makes it easy for renters to stay on top of their health and fitness.

Unsurprisingly, the more communities a metro will have, the harder it will be for all or most of the renters living there to have access to these amenities, but many of these features and amenities might soon become the norm in communities that prioritize renters’ well-being.

As communities of build-to-rent single-family homes are mushrooming across the U.S., it’s clear that demand for high-quality, low-maintenance, spacious houses for rent is growing. That’s largely due to the current conditions on the housing market: incomes are slowly creeping up, but home prices and mortgage rates remain prohibitive, making more and more renters realize that housing options aren’t binary, including more than just renting an apartment or buying a single-family home.

Renting a single-family home might just offer renters the best of both worlds. They avoid the stress that comes along with fluctuating mortgage rates and get the space they crave. Whether they need more rooms to accommodate a growing family, add a home office, or would like a porch or a backyard, switching to a single-family home for rent will provide the extra space and amenities they now need.

Methodology

Point2Homes.com is a real estate listing portal for rental homes across the United States. Part of Yardi Systems, Point2Homes covers housing trends and news through comprehensive studies that draw from internal data, public records, governmental sources, and online research.

• This study is based on the 100 most populous metropolitan areas according to the 2023 1-Year American Community Survey.
• The average size of houses for rent, the average number of bedrooms, and the average number of bathrooms is based on data related to build-to-rent communities containing at least 50 single-family rental units.
• This analysis was performed by Point2 Homes using data provided by our sister company, Yardi Matrix. The data includes only properties defined as single-family homes for rent that are located in build-to-rent, professionally managed communities in the markets covered by Yardi Matrix research. Data for some markets may not be available and data for the locations included in the analysis may be subject to change. This analysis does not include other types of single-family rentals that are not located in build-to-rent communities.
• Build-to-rent communities are defined by Yardi Matrix as communities where at least 50% of the units fit one of the following criteria: (1) They do not share any walls with other units, or (2) they have shared walls, but do not have neighbors above/below or have a direct-access garage.
• Data regarding the house renters’ access to amenities like community pools, gyms and fitness centers, clubhouses, playgrounds and sports courts is also sourced from Yardi Matrix.
• The following metros/markets have been excluded due to a lack of available data, although they are among the 100 largest U.S. metros: Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN; Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ; Worcester, MA-CT; Greensboro-High Point, NC; Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY; and Winston-Salem, NC.

This story was produced by Point2Homes and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.