National Multifamily Housing Council graphic

April apartment rent payments have increased to 84 percent of renter households through April 12, as the multifamily industry monitors the financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Multifamily Housing Council said April rent payments increased 15 percent from the 69 percent level seen in its previous survey on April 5.

NMHC President Doug Bibby said the outlook for May payments is unclear as rising unemployment and delays in government stimulus payments threaten renters’ ability to stay current. The federal government began sending out $1,200 stimulus checks this week to eligible taxpayers who have direct deposit set up with the IRS, but delays have been reported in many states as millions of recently laid-off workers file for unemployment benefits. More than 16 million people have lost jobs in the previous three weeks, according to U.S. Department of Labor data.

“It is our hope that, as residents begin receiving the direct payments and the enhanced unemployment benefits the federal government passed, we will continue to see improvements in rent payments,” Bibby said in a statement.

The NMHC survey tracks 11.5 million professionally-managed apartment units nationwide.