Data-Backed Insights on What Tenants Really Want in 2026
Key Takeaways
- Tenants are choosing rentals in 2026 based on bottom-line amenities, price and location fundamentals, and digital convenience, according to our March survey of 3,450 tenants.
- Roughly 92% of tenants prefer to pay rent online—and even a large majority (74%) of senior tenants do, too.
- Must-have amenities according to tenants include in-unit laundry, central AC, private outdoor space, dishwashers, and dedicated parking spaces.
- Tenants reported that mobile app access, automated rent payment reminders, and Auto-pay options are the features that most help them pay their rent on-time.
Introduction
Do you still have vacant units in your portfolio, generating no income and doing no good? Have you published listings on every platform, to no avail?
Whether you're at a loss with your listings or ready to invest in a new property, you may find yourself wishing you could read minds to find out what actually gets tenants in your market to sign a lease. But fortunately, you don't need superpowers to find out—you just need data.
And we've got it—in March of 2026, we surveyed over 4,500 tenants and 430 landlords active on the Innago platform, to find out:
- Exactly what tenants want in 2026
- How preferences vary by age, property type, and region
- Where landlords are meeting or failing to meet the demand
In this article, we'll cover just a few of our stand-out results—but for more context and a full deep dive into the data, be sure to download a copy of our 2026 Tenant Preferences Report on Innago Insight.
Rental Preferences: What Makes Tenants Sign?
We asked tenants to rank five key factors based on how much each contributes to their decision to rent a property: price, location, pet policy, amenities, and lease flexibility.
Rental Decision
Factor Ranking
"Rank the following based on how much they contribute to your decision to rent a property"
Unsurprisingly, our survey showed that price is the #1 factor in tenants' decision to rent a property. 45% of tenants we surveyed ranked price #1. This is a strong signal that competitive pricing remains the most powerful lever a landlord has at their disposal to fill units.
Location received the second highest rank. However, only 16% of tenants ranked it as their #1 factor—compared to pet policy (coming in third average rank), which was ranked #1 by over 25% of tenants. This shows that for tenants who own pets, a positive pet policy is a deal-breaking factor. This was especially true for Millennials — tenants in the 25-35 age range were more likely to rank pet policy high compared to other demographics.
If you have a strict 'no pets policy and are having trouble filling your units, this is the first variable to reconsider.
Other questions we answer in this section:
- The average intended stay length of tenants
- The benefits of longer lease terms
- % of tenants would sign longer leases for smaller rent increases
- Tenants' most preferred payment methods in 2026, by age
The Amenity Gap: Unmet Demand in 2026
Which amenities most drive tenants' rental choices?
We gave 4,500+ tenants a list of 19 amenities and asked them to select all the amenities that would influence their decision to rent a property.
Here are the top most commonly selected amenities by tenants:
Amenities That Influence
Rental Decisions
"What amenities would influence your decision in renting a property?" –Select all that apply
balcony/patio
Each of these amenities was selected by over 50% of tenants surveyed. The top choice, in-unit laundry, is currently only being offered by 65% of landlords surveyed. For the 35% of landlords who don't currently offer in-unit laundry, this represents a huge opportunity to attract more tenants with their #1 wanted amenity.
Other questions we answer in this section:
- The full ranking of all 19 amenities
- 5 amenities most likely to appeal to niche markets
- Age as a factor in amenity preferences
- 2 amenities that represent the single biggest opportunities for landlords in 2026
- The 2 most common amenities landlords are planning to add this year
Digital Tools that Drive Renewals
Digital convenience is a larger factor in tenants' rental decisions than many landlords think. When renting a new unit, most tenants want to know whether they can easily message their landlord or property manager, pay rent online, submit maintenance requests, and more.
In our survey, we asked tenants which online features would most help them pay rent on time. Here are the results:
- 43% of tenants selected mobile app access
- 42% selected automated rent payment reminders
- 41% selected AutoPay options
- 20% selected rent history/digital receipts
Features That Help
Tenants Pay Rent On Time
"Which of the following features would help you pay rent on time?" — Select all that apply
Simply providing your tenants with the ability to manage their rental experience online—from receiving key reminders and setting up AutoPay to viewing past payments and receipts—not only makes tenants more likely to get their rent in on time, but also increases their overall satisfaction with your business.
Other questions we answer in this section:
- How tenants prefer to communicate with their landlords
- What you can do to accommodate senior renters
- What % of tenants prefer to pay online (vs. cash/check), even with a small fee
- The most helpful online services for tenants
The Software Behind the Data
Innago is the software platform connecting tenants and landlords in our survey. We asked tenants to provide their honest feedback on our platform to find out exactly how much features like online rent payments and maintenance tracking influence their experiences.
We found:
- 88% of tenants surveyed pay rent online via Innago
- 72% of tenants are satisfied with how their landlords use Innago
- 80% of tenants agree that paying rent on time is easier through Innago
of tenants agree that paying rent on time is easier through Innago
n = 3,047 (tenant respondents who pay online via Innago)
The takeaway here is clear: For the large majority of tenants, Innago makes it easier to fulfill their most basic responsibility as a renter—making it more likely that you'll receive rent on time, every time.
Conclusion
Tenant expectations in 2026 are clear: competitive pricing, the right amenities, and a smooth digital experience are what get units filled and leases renewed.
Whether it's rethinking a strict no-pets policy, adding in-unit laundry, or giving tenants the ability to set up AutoPay and mobile rent reminders, small changes can have an outsized impact on how quickly and how reliably you fill vacancies.
If you're ready to see how your properties stack up against what today's tenants actually want, download the full 2026 Tenant Preferences Report on REI Grove for the complete data set, including the full amenity rankings, regional breakdowns, and generational trends.
FAQs
What is the most important factor in a tenant's decision to rent?
Price is the top-ranked factor, with 45% of tenants ranking it as their #1 consideration.
Does pet policy really affect whether tenants sign a lease?
Yes. Pet policy was ranked the #1 factor by over 25% of tenants, and was especially important to Millennial renters (ages 25–35).
What amenities do tenants want most in 2026?
The top five most-selected amenities were in-unit laundry, central air conditioning, private outdoor space, a dishwasher, and a dedicated parking space, each selected by over 50% of tenants surveyed.
Are landlords currently meeting tenant demand for amenities?
Not entirely. For example, in-unit laundry — tenants' top choice — is only offered by 65% of landlords surveyed, leaving a gap of opportunity for the rest.
How do tenants prefer to pay rent?
92% of tenants prefer to pay rent online, including 74% of senior tenants.
What digital features help tenants pay rent on time?
Tenants pointed to mobile app access (43%), automated rent payment reminders (42%), and AutoPay options (41%) as the features that most help them pay on time.
Does using Innago actually improve the tenant experience?
Yes. Among tenants surveyed, 80% agree it makes paying rent on time easier, and 72% are satisfied with how their landlord uses the platform.