Demand is rising, despite concerns about rent control, according to the organization’s new survey.

Apartment rental markets nationwide continue to reflect ongoing improvement and substantial demand. But investment is threatened by rent control measures. These are among the key findings of the National Multifamily Housing Council’s (NMHC) Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions for January 2022.

For the fourth quarter in row, the survey showed Market Tightness (69), Sales Volume (59) and Equity Financing (67) indexes each finished above the breakeven level of 50. By contrast, for the second straight quarter, the Debt Financing (36) index revealed weaker conditions.

Widely available

Higher interest rates have resulted in higher borrowing costs, the NMHC reported in a prepared statement. Despite that, equity financing continues to be broadly available. That has resulted in a continuance of apartment sales market transactions.

Among the survey’s highlights:

The Market Tightness Index declined from 82 to 69, revealing tighter market conditions. Almost half (49 percent) of respondents characterized market conditions as tighter than three months earlier, while 12 percent reported looser conditions and a sizable 40 percent found conditions unchanged from the previous quarter.