Vacant Rentals Are at Their Lowest Availability in 12 Years

By Michelle Conlin

The U.S. apartment vacancy rate eased to its lowest level in more than a decade, but stagnant income growth moderated rent increases, according to a new industry report. The national apartment vacancy rate fell 0.1 percentage point to 4.1 percent in the fourth quarter from the third quarter, according to a preliminary report by real estate research firm Reis Inc. that was released on Monday. It was the lowest vacancy rate since the third quarter of 2001, when it was 3.9 percent.

A sluggish job market and weak wage growth help keep rent growth at just 0.8 percent, however, well below the level usually associated with such low vacancy rates. "While national rent growth remains low relative to vacancy, there are a number of markets where rents continue to boom such as Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland-East Bay," the report said. (See the most expensive places to rent in the video below.)

New Haven ranked as the city with the tightest vacancy rate at 2.2 percent. San Diego, San Jose and New York came in at numbers two, three and four, respectively. With more housing supply coming online, Reis expects vacancies to increase slightly in 2014 while rents rise by roughly 3.3 percent.

More about renting:
Craigslist Rental Scam Reportedly Strikes Again, Fleecing Family of 5
5 Signs That You're Better Off Renting
5 Tip-Offs To A Rental Scam

More from AOL Real Estate:
Find homes for rent in your area.
Find out how to calculate mortgage payments.
Find homes for sale in your area.
Find foreclosures in your area.

Follow us on Twitter at @AOLRealEstate or connect with AOL Real Estate on Facebook.