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The Biggest Single-Family Rental Landlords and Multifamily Landlords in the US: Big Shifts Underway
Wolfstreetยท2025-09-15 15:37

Core Insights - The single-family rental market is evolving as major landlords shift from purchasing individual homes to developing build-to-rent communities, driven by the need for cost-effective operations and changing market dynamics [1][4][6]. Single-Family Rental Market - The top six single-family rental landlords own a total of 422,000 properties, while mom-and-pop landlords control approximately 11 million single-family rentals out of nearly 50 million total rental units in the US [1][5]. - Since 2022, major single-family rental landlords have been selling individual homes acquired during the Housing Bust, which began in 2012 when home prices were low [2][11]. - These landlords are increasingly focusing on new construction of entire for-rent developments, which are more efficient to manage compared to scattered older homes [3][4]. Major Players in Single-Family Rentals - Progress Residential, the largest single-family rental landlord, owns 94,000 properties and has shifted to acquiring build-to-rent developments, totaling 7,500 rentals [7][8]. - Invitation Homes, with 93,603 single-family rentals, has also transitioned to purchasing new construction developments, selling off individual homes since 2022 [10][11]. - American Homes 4 Rent owns 60,596 single-family rentals and has completed its 10,000th home in build-to-rent developments, planning to deliver 1,800 to 2,000 homes in 2025 [13][15]. Multifamily Rental Market - The largest multifamily landlord, Greystar, has expanded its portfolio to 122,545 units, reflecting a significant growth of 53% over four years [20]. - The multifamily sector has seen a historic boom with over 4 million units started between 2015 and 2024, but is now facing challenges with a delinquency rate for multifamily mortgages rising to 6.9% [20][25]. - The top 50 multifamily landlords collectively own 2.50 million rental apartments, marking a 10% increase over the past five years [22].