Renters are very satisfied with their rental apartments in Kansas City, Missouri. In Memphis? They’re not that happy.
That’s the takeaway from a recent study by apartment search service ABODO, which recently considered a host of factors to find those major cities in which renters were most satisfied and those in which they weren’t much happy at all.
ABODO looked at renters’ opinions on their area’s crime rates, schools, public transportation and litter. The company also looked at issues with individual rental units, everything from reports on rodents and roaches to heating issues, mold, water leaks and structural problems.
ABODO then ranked metro areas, with the highest possible rental-satisfaction score being 300. Raleigh, North Carolina, topped ABODO’s list with a total satisfaction score of 274. But Kansas City came in second – and was obviously the top Midwest city – with a score of 232.
Chicago was the next-highest-ranked Midwest city, coming in 13th place with a score of 151, while the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn area of Michigan came in 14th with a score of 139. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis in Wisconsin ranked 15th, with a score of 133.
The next Midwest city on the list was Cincinnati, holding down the 17th spot with a rating of 124. Cleveland-Elyria came in 24th with a ranking of 76, while Memphis brought up the very rear of ABODO’s list, coming in 25th with a satisfaction score of just 65.
Pest problems are a big issue with renters, and contributes mightily to low satisfaction ratings. Fortunately, renters in the Midwest don’t seem to have as many issues with pests as do some other renters. Nationally, 17 percent of renter households have problems with roaches, while 10.1 percent have problems with rodents.
Those major metro areas with the highest chance of seeingn mice or rats? ABODO found that in New York-Newark, 20.1 percent of renters reported seeing these pests in the last 12 months, topping the list. The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area of Texas topped the list when it came to renters encountering roaches. According to ABODO, 43.4 percent of renters here reported seeing roaches in the last 12 months.
Renter satisfaction matters, of course. A growing number of Americans are renting today, with ABODO reporting that 37 percent of U.S. adults rent instead of own. It matters, then, that cities and municipalities do what they can to make these renters happy.