Big corporate landlords have unwelcome new competition. Regular homeowners who can’t sell their properties are renting them out instead, and the growing number of “accidental landlords” is a headache for pros.
Rents in the top 20 U.S. markets for single-family homes are expected to rise 0.8% this year, according to John Burns Research & Consulting. That would be the slowest pace since 2011, when job losses caused by the global financial crisis made it hard to increase rent.Rent growth, single-family homes**Source: Burns Single-Family Rent Index*2025 data is through July; **top 20 markets
Source: Rise of ‘Accidental Landlords’ Is Bad News for Investors Who Bet Big on Rentals – WSJ
