Zillow Group said U.S. rent affordability has improved to a four-year high as rent growth cools and supply expands. The company reported the typical asking rent was $1,895 in January, up 2% from a year earlier, while the typical household now spends 26.4% of income on rent, the lowest share since August 2021. Zillow forecast multifamily rents to be essentially flat by the end of 2026 (-0.2%) and single-family rents to rise just 1.1%, citing elevated vacancies, new apartment completions and near-record levels of leasing concessions.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Zillow Group Inc. published the original content used to generate this news brief via PR Newswire (Ref. ID: 202602180800PR_NEWS_USPR_____SF90253) on February 18, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.