The Landlord Lens - Top 10 Hottest Rental Markets in 2026

Episode Date: April 10, 2026

Renter demand is heating up earlier than usual, and the cities at the top might surprise you. In this video, we break down the top 10 hottest rental markets right now based on real renter behavior like searches, saved listings, and engagement. This is not about hype or headlines, it is about where attention is actually building before the 2026 leasing season kicks off.If you are a landlord or investor, this is where things get interesting. These trends can signal where demand is strengthening before it shows up in rents or competition. We also walk through what this data does and does not tell you, so you can make smarter decisions instead of just chasing the latest hot market.

Where are renters actually looking? It's actually from Rent Cafe. It's entirely based on how interested are renters in this market. And you're not going to believe who's number one. Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Landlord Lens. Today we're going to take a look at the rental markets in America, not from the typical what cash flows, where can I get a good price,

but from the where are renters actually looking lens? Yeah, it's super interesting to look at renter behavior. and you're not going to believe who's number one. I certainly didn't. Yeah, we were kind of shocked. We had to check where this list came from, actually, when we saw who number one was. Because there's a lot of movement in this list, as you'll hear.

This year has been a major change in where renters are paying attention to move to. So, John, it's always fun to go through a list, but where's this data from that we're about to take our audience through? So this one is fun. It's actually from Rent Cafe. Rent Cafe is a listing site and also the renter portal for Yardie. And they've basically taken all of the page views, how many listings get saved as favorites, how many searches get saved, and then the availability of apartments in a certain area.

And they mash all that together into a score, and then they create scores for each market. So it's entirely based on how interested are renters in this market. Makes sense. Yeah, it doesn't have any of the deal with cash flow necessarily of the market or how rent prices are dropping or changing. What is interesting, though, as there is a surge of activity in these markets, you'd expect, unless there's a bunch of new supply, you'd actually expect rent to potentially go up in these markets, which is contrary to what we've been talking about since the start of the year. Exactly.

Yeah, and one thing that jumped out to me before we get into the top 10 is that a lot of these places are actually in the Midwest. We're not talking about a lot of coastal cities as we have previously. And with so many of our recent videos talking about rent prices, either dropping or getting fairly stagnant, I think it's easy to assume that in these locations, if rent or activity is going up, we're also probably going to have some run price increases. Yes, exactly, which is a very cool kind of flattening of the rental market in America. Well, market's going to market, John. Markets going to market.

That's right. All right. Coming in at number 10 is a place I've never been, Birmingham, Alabama. Yes, beautiful Birmingham, Alabama, surging 11% in favorites from renters on listing sites, which is a great indication of increased interest. Absolutely. And I know there's a lot of downtown development in Birmingham. it could be an interesting opportunity for a long-term play.

Yeah, in a place that has previously been on lists of very affordable cities to go to, makes sense that renters are surging there. That makes a lot of sense. Okay, next up on the other side of the Great Plains from us here in Denver, Kansas City, Missouri. Yes, known not only for its barbecue, but also for the recent surges had in renter activity as measured through favorites, rising 26 percent in Kansas City. Yes, in Kansas City. And it's not clear if this is only Kansas City, Missouri or Kansas City, Kansas, too. Either way, it's kind of a value story. And I know Kansas City in general has been on the map with the Chiefs continuously losing. Maybe that's a signal to, oh, I can finally move there. All it took is Patrick Mahomes to get injured, and they've seen a huge surge in rentals. Huge surge in rentals, yeah.

Next up is actually a city that's falling down the list, but just barely hanging on to the top 10. Number eight is Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is the first, I'm a city. I would classify as one of the big American cities on the list. Yes, it is. And renters are surging there because it's an opportunity to live close to or even work in New York. Yeah. And still have that big city feel. Yeah. And now this is slipping in the list, but what's interesting is everything about it rose,

which tells you everything in front of it is that much more interesting. Yes, absolutely. It rose 33% in favorites, but the others are just surging faster and faster and faster. Yes, which brings us to number seven. One I didn't expect to actually see on this list, San Jose, California. Yeah, and also bucks the trend a little bit on the coastal side, right, with a lot of other Midwest represented. But it was the biggest jump. So it jumped 80 spots in the list of rent or activity up to where it sits today at number seven.

Which is bananas. Is this the comeback of the Bay Area? Could be. Another thing that's interesting about San Jose is it's still a very expensive market to move to. Yeah, very expensive. And we'll now jump to a very big. inexpensive market, Cleveland, Ohio. Yes, which dropped a few spots over the last year,

but still experienced a huge surge in renters favorting and rental activity on listing sites. So what bumped in front of Cleveland then? Well, what jumped in front is number five, Baltimore, Maryland. Oh, Baltimore. Yes. Ballmore. I think that's how you say it, right? They say, Balmour.

People like me that live near Baltimore say Baltimore. Okay, all right, okay. The best thing about Baltimore is that it's a more affordable alternative to Washington, D.C. I guess that is the best thing about Baltimore. And the crabs. Baltimore is very similar to actually Philadelphia, right? Where it's that city experience that people can live in when they're trying to actually commute to another bigger city. Yes, which is also on this list at number four. Yeah, Washington, D.C. So D.C. has slipped slightly over the last year, but it still sits at number four nationally in terms of of rent or activity and interest in the area.

Maybe it's just a lot of Congress people ahead of the midterms. So many Congress people are just like all over Rent Cafe. Clicking rentals. Save, save, save, save. Click, click, click. All right. And then after Washington, D.C., we have Minneapolis, Minnesota. Yes, making news not just for daycares, but also for rental activity in the area.

It's surging. It's your affordable yet approachable Midwest city. But it's not the last one on the list because number two is not a Midwestern city. That's Atlanta, Georgia. Moved up to number second, thanks to increasing favorites and page views from renters. Atlanta, Georgia gives you that southern feel in a very affordable city. And John, we've reached that point in the list where it's time for number one, which is Cincinnati, Ohio. It jumped 10 spots from last year.

Favorites surged 81% in Cincinnati. people are looking at it because it's not only affordable, but also has all the amenities, professional sports team of a big city. That's right, yeah. I know what I think of Cincinnati, I think of Joe Burrow and Pete Rose, and those are great athletes.

Yes, they are. Yeah, Cincinnati, Ohio, number one. Jump 10 spots from last year, so this is its first time in the top 10. Yeah. What's really incredible is the Midwest put 11 cities in the top 30 this year. So 11 cities in the top 30, huh? What was next up?

The South was next. by 10. Okay, all right. And then I guess the other coasts are just not getting a lot of renter interest. Yeah, after that, it was just kind of a who cares. I think it'll be continuously interesting to see the folks with a lot of cash in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, maybe San Jose, I guess they've got a lot of renters. But putting their money in the Midwest and the South continuously, this has been a trend for the last like 10 years, right, is this remote landlord. And I think this list really feels like it's not going away. No, not at all. And even as we talk to investors right here in Denver, the amount of them that are citing Ohio, especially, it seems

as a hot location to buy. I've talked to ones with Alabama, right, which makes sense to the Birmingham. Investors as well as renters are realizing that affordability is a key, key factor in where to invest and where to live. Are you surprised by this list like we were? Leave a note in the comment about what surprised you by being in the list and what surprised you by not being in the And as always, we appreciate you liking and subscribing our video. Looking forward to talking to you next time. TurboTenant is the all-in-one platform for landlords to manage their rental properties. From vacancy to tenancy, we have you covered with industry-leading tools and expert advice.

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