The U.S. Census Bureau, in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has published new summary tables and public use files from the 2024 Rental Housing Finance Survey (RHFS). The survey offers data on the financial, mortgage, and property characteristics of residential properties across the United States that have at least one rental unit.
According to the agencies, “The RHFS provides measures of financial, mortgage and property characteristics of U.S. residential properties with at least one housing rental unit. It is the only data source that provides a comprehensive picture of mortgage financing for all types of rental properties.”
Data collected by the RHFS includes information on property value, purchase price, year built and acquired, number of buildings and rental units, as well as details about recent improvements or upgrades. The survey also gathers data on monthly rents, commercial uses within residential buildings, management and ownership status, benefits received from various programs, and specific mortgage details such as number of loans, loan amounts, and payment frequency.
“The RHFS collects data on: Property characteristics — value, purchase price, year built, year acquired, number of buildings, number of rental units, and recent improvements and upgrades. Rental status and monthly rents in residential buildings. Commercial use of space in residential structures. Property management and ownership status. Benefits received from federal, state, local and nongovernmental programs. Mortgage characteristics — number of mortgages (or debts) on the property, original/outstanding loan amounts, and frequency of payments (biweekly, monthly, annually, one-time, etc.),” officials stated.
This HUD-sponsored survey was conducted by the Census Bureau between June and November 2024.
Further information is available on the Rental Housing Finance Survey (RHFS) webpage at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/rhfs.html.
