Rental demand slipped 10%
TransUnion analysis shows rental applications fell about 10% in late 2025, prompting many managers to lower credit thresholds and rethink risk controls — a measurable softening landlords can’t ignore. For industrial landlords that historically underwrote on occupancy strength, this is a prompt to tighten tenant screening and structure risk‑mitigating deal terms. (globenewswire.com)
The analysis covered more than 2,400 same-store properties that screened applications in both 2024 and 2025 across 47 states, and the dataset included a balanced mix of property types and rent tiers. (marketchameleon.com) TransUnion says the application declines were geographically concentrated in the western and southwestern U.S., while Maine registered the largest state-level fall at about 25%. (newsroom.transunion.com) TransUnion’s blog frames the decline more precisely as roughly a 10.5% drop in application volume during the second half of 2025, with the steepest weakness occurring in the traditional summer moving season. (transunion.com) Property managers responded by lowering decision points—typically credit-score cutoffs—by an average of about six points to preserve occupancy, a move TransUnion flags as increasing tenant risk exposure. (finviz.com) TransUnion’s recommended mitigations include investing in screening tools calibrated for eviction risk, layering alternative data, and applying market-level intelligence rather than broadly relaxing standards. (transunion.com) TransUnion’s tenant-screening products highlight features landlords can deploy now, including a ResidentScore built for rental risk and Income Insights that flag applicants needing further income verification. (mysmartmove.com) The findings and recommended playbook were presented at TransUnion’s Property Management Summit on March 19–20, 2026, where company executives outlined the research and next-step controls for operators. (newsroom.transunion.com)
