HousingAnywhere International Rent Index FAQs

Note: This FAQ page is updated with every quarterly edition of the HousingAnywhere International Rent Index by City. The last version of this page was updated on October 9th and contains details about the Q3 2024 report.

October 2024. Since 2018, HousingAnywhere has published its International Rent Index by City, a comprehensive quarterly report detailing rent price developments in European cities, based on data collected from HousingAnywhere’s platform. To facilitate a clear understanding of the report, HousingAnywhere shares answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Rent Index.

How many properties were analyzed in HousingAnywhere’s International Rent Index by City Q3 2024, and what types of properties does it include?

The Rent Index Q3 2024 analyzed 88,823 properties in 28 European cities. These properties were listed on HousingAnywhere’s platform and received interest from potential tenants in the past year. This means that the properties analyzed are those that prompted at least one tenant to start a conversation with an advertiser. The report focuses on 1-to-3 bedroom apartments, rooms, and studios. Approximately 98% of these properties were fully furnished, and 60% included bills in the rent. Out of the apartments analyzed, 57% were one-bedroom apartments, 31% two-bedroom apartments, and 12% were three-bedroom apartments.

How many properties does the report analyze per city?

Due to the sensitive nature of this information, HousingAnywhere does not disclose exact figures per city. However, it's noted that the number of properties varies by city. As an example, in the room sector, typically most cities have 200-700 properties per quarter, with cities with the largest inventories reaching 1,500.

To provide a robust dataset, cities with fewer than 25 units of a particular property type in a quarter are excluded from the report. For this reason, and due to the typical scarcity of studios in some cities, Amsterdam, Helsinki, The Hague, and Utrecht were excluded from the studio section of this edition. Utrecht is excluded from the room section as well.

How many cities are covered by the Rent Index?

The Rent Index Q3 2024 covered 28 cities in 12 European countries. These cities are: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Brussels, Budapest, Düsseldorf, Florence, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Helsinki, Köln, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, Porto, Prague, Rome, Rotterdam, Stuttgart, The Hague, Turin, Utrecht, Valencia, Vienna.

Why are certain cities excluded from the report?

To provide statistically representative data, cities with fewer than 25 units in any of the three property types are omitted from the analysis. This is why HousingAnywhere reports prices only for cities where the platform has sufficient inventory.

Does the report focus solely on furnished properties?

Primarily, yes. In the Q3 2024 edition, 98% of the analyzed properties were fully furnished, and 60% included bills.

Is HousingAnywhere a short-term rental platform?

No, HousingAnywhere is a mid-term rental platform. While the length of the stay is agreed between each tenant and landlord, the stays in the properties booked via HousingAnywhere are usually between 6 and +12 months. For example, looking back into the length of stays of the properties booked in the Netherlands via HousingAnywhere in the last 12 months, the average stay is 254 days (8 months).

Is the platform exclusively for internationals (or ‘expats’)?

Not exclusively. HousingAnywhere is catered to tenants relocating to a new city, including people relocating within or across borders. The platform is designed to provide an accessible online rental experience, removing language, cultural, and territorial barriers. For instance, in 2023, 40% of those who looked for properties in the Netherlands via HousingAnywhere were located in the Netherlands, and the rest in other countries.

Why does the report highlight the absolute price of properties rather than the price per square meter?

Both the absolute rent and the price per square meter provide important insights. In markets with limited supply, as it’s the case in some of the major European cities, absolute prices are particularly telling due to constrained tenant choices. However, the size of the property can impact the rent price. While the text in the report focuses on the absolute price, the price per m2 is available in interactive visuals at the Rent Index website.

How is the price per square meter calculated?

The price per square meter is determined by dividing the median rent by the median property size. In the case of rooms, it's calculated based on the median rent divided by the median size of the room (excluding any common areas).

Can HousingAnywhere influence the rents listed on its platform?

Not directly. HousingAnywhere focuses on providing an easy to use online rental platform, where tenants and property providers can match and have safe conversations, bookings and payments. HousingAnywhere is not involved in the contracts signed between the two parties, nor in the rents agreed. However, HousingAnywhere strives to offer information to both parties so they can make well-informed decisions.

Does the Rent Index represent the entire rental market?

The Rent Index is based on internal data, which might influence the findings to some extent. The platform does not include properties offered by housing corporations or other types of non-profit organizations, which generally have lower rental prices. Nevertheless, the volume of data allows to indicate certain trends in the free rental sector. With presence in several European cities, its extensive dataset enables an interesting comparative between European locations.

Press Contact

If you have more questions which are not answered in these FAQs, do not hesitate to reach out to HousingAnywhere’s press team at press@housinganywhere.com.