HousingAnywhere International Rent Index by City

• Rental prices for single rooms still dropping for most of the Rent Index
• Prices for apartments, in contrast, are rising fast
• Much uncertainty for post-pandemic property markets across Europe

Rotterdam July 1, 2021 - The HousingAnywhere International Rent Index report for Q2 2021 shows an overall price drop for single rooms, bringing the average rental prices to their lowest point since 2015. The sharpest price falls were observed in Helsinki, where prices for single rooms have dropped by 11.8% to EUR 590, Rome, where prices have dropped by 10.4% to EUR 506, and Madrid, where prices have dropped by 10% to EUR 462.

At the same time, rental prices for apartments are rising fast throughout Europe. Rotterdam prices broke a trend of two years, showing a quarterly increase of 3.9% to EUR 1,344. Berlin saw a reversal of the controversial rent cap (Mietendeckel), which was ruled unlawful by the German constitutional court. A price correction can be seen in the German capital, with an increase of 10.6% to EUR 1,240. While in Q1 Madrid already showed a gradual positive price trend, this quarter sees an acceleration with a 5.3% increase to a monthly average of EUR 1,178.

1. Munich single rooms decreased at -5.8% compared to last year to an average of € 646 per month. Studio prices decreased at -4% to € 990 compared to 2020. Prices for one-bedroom apartments decreased at -14.2% to € 1.307.
2. Madrid saw rental prices decrease heavily in Q2 compared to last year, with rental prices for rooms decreasing at -10% to € 462 a month and studio rental prices decreased by 11% to € 745. Prices for apartments went up by 9.2% to € 1.196 a month, an increase of 4.4% compared to last quarter.
3. Average rental prices for rooms tumbled in Rome at -10.4% compared to last year to € 506 per month. Studio prices decreased slightly at -0.4% to € 785. Prices for one-bedroom apartments showed a slight increase of 0.9 % to an average of € 1.095 per month.
4. In Q2 of 2021, Barcelona saw a decrease in rental prices across the board: -8.1% for rooms compared to last year, bringing the monthly rent to an average of € 453. A decrease at -7.7% for studios to € 800. And a decrease at -6.9% for apartments to € 1.148 per month.
5. A surprise in this ranking is London, with a decrease in rental prices of rooms at -4.5% to € 658 and studio prices at -5.1% to € 1.082. Compared to 2020, the average rental price for a one-bedroom apartment decreased at -3.1% to € 1.691.

As a result of dropping prices during the pandemic, categories seem to be attracting new target audiences on the HousingAnywhere platform: more premium accommodation (including hotel rooms for short term rent) is now within reach of students and young professionals. This brings some temporary but much-needed relief to the market for single rooms. As a result, prices are dropping even further. While this is mainly a result of local market dynamics, expats and international students are now also reaping the benefits. Djordy Seelmann, CEO of HousingAnywhere:

This would be a good time for students and young professionals to start looking for accommodation abroad. While prices for rooms are at an ultimate low at the moment, they are expected to start rising again once travel restrictions are lifted.

The shift in categories results in climbing prices for apartments in most cities, as demand is increasing. In Berlin, rental prices are rising above those of Q4 2019 – right before the rental ceiling (Mietendeckel) was introduced to control rapidly increasing rents. 

Restrictive price measures, such as the Mietendeckel, offer no long-term solution, as we can now clearly see,” says Seelmann. “Now that we see tourists returning to European cities, local governments should take decisive action to protect their residential housing stock. If cities are now complacent, they will see much of it returning to Airbnb and other holiday rental platforms. When the pandemic hit in 2020, we were appalled by how much local residential housing stock was tied up in holiday rentals for tourists. If cities do not plan to restore the balance between tourists and locals, local communities will lose out. Rental prices will rise if cities continue to allow housing stock to be rented out to tourists.

About the HousingAnywhere International Rent Index

For this 12th edition of the rent price index, HousingAnywhere analysed 90,103 properties listed on the platform between April 2020 and June 2021. To ensure the data was representative, properties that did not receive active interest from potential tenants and listings that were considered outliers were excluded. Properties deemed too expensive or cheap were not considered for this report as they threatened to skew the data. The report comprises cities that could provide a sample large enough for the data to be reliable. Data are shown only for single rooms in joined living arrangements, studios, and one-bedroom apartments. The report is also available in Spanish, Italian, German and Dutch.

About HousingAnywhere

HousingAnywhere is Europe's largest rental accommodation marketplace, with 10 million unique visitors per year and 60,000+ properties available for rent. Young professionals and students looking to rent a home are matched with accommodation providers, ranging from private real estate owners to large-scale property managers. Through its advanced platform, tenants book for longer stays and typically rent accommodation for 3 to 12 months. The Rotterdam-based technology start-up employs 140 people. The startup is currently focused on 32 key cities throughout Europe, with plans to rapidly expand its footprint.

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