Apartments in Houston are always modifying their specials and incentives. Many times clients call stating that in order to move to the apartment community, the community must offer some sort of rental incentive or discount off the monthly rent. Maybe six months ago that would be the case. Renters have become spoiled. The specials that have been available to most new renters have slowly started to disappear. Houston, Texas may have more apartment units than any other city in the United States. There is no zoning in the city which basically means developers and builders can build what they want where they want. And with Houston gaining more individuals in sheer numbers than any other city, developers have begun building apartments as fast as they can get the concrete poured. However, with the financial crisis on the forefront, new apartment construction may be put on hold.

Now in Houston we have a couple different rental conditions going on, and these dramatically affect specials. Rental rates have begun appreciating sharply within the last two years. However, rental rates have always been cheap compared to the rest of the nation. Price points of brand new Inner Loop apartments start above $1200. Newer apartments typically attempt to fill up their vacancies as quickly as possible. These new apartment communities do offer specials, usually offering 1 or 2 months free, and sometimes even provide the renter with a gift card too. Now as the price point of the newer properties has increased, many renters have decided to lease at a “B” or “C” property, or choose properties that are not in a high rental area.

Many of these “B” properties are now 100% full and in order to move into one of these, one must put his or her name on a waiting list. So these properties will never offer specials as they are completely full. So now the renter has two choices. The renter may pay more in order to get an incentive and live in a luxurious property, or they may live in a property this is 20-30 years old. Many renters have become very upset stating that everything is over-priced and not worth it. They have had it good so long they believe every property should give something away. » Read more: The State of the Apartment Rental Market in Houston Today