Today’s most in-demand rental amenities are not traditional luxury amenities like a fitness center, pool or business center. Listings with a turfed pet area, coworking space or community happy hours are drawing more interest as renters appear to be prioritizing practical amenities and community-focused perks. 

A new Zillow analysis of nearly 5.6 million rental listings, including apartment buildings and single-family houses, finds certain amenities contribute to more saves and shares per day when a home is listed on Zillow Rentals. These metrics are a signal of demand, as renters who save a listing or share it with their shopping partner are typically more serious about a home. The higher the demand, the faster a unit or a house is likely to rent. 

It’s important to keep in mind that renters may expect a suite of amenities, especially when looking at higher-end rentals. While some features may appear to be less in-demand with this analysis, they typically do not stand on their own. For example, a fitness center may be paired with other desirable amenities, such as a playground, or a tennis court. Each renter will have their own priority list of amenities, so it is important for a property manager or landlord to list everything a unit has to offer.

The most in-demand amenities are off-street parking and in-unit laundry. Listings that mention off-street parking get 85% more saves and 103% more shares per day on Zillow Rentals. In-unit laundry helps a listing get 76% more daily saves and 92% more daily shares compared to similar units. 

Once those essentials are checked off, renters are looking for new perks. A pet-friendly patch of turf can boost daily saves by 76% and daily shares by 91% on Zillow Rentals. Air filtration, popularized during the pandemic and increasingly important as more areas feel the impact of wildfire smoke, can help a rental get 72% more saves and 79% more shares per day. Communities that offer happy hours for tenants get 50% more daily saves and 67% more daily shares. 

Rentals with a business center get 24% fewer saves and 27% fewer shares per day on Zillow Rentals.Instead, renters appear to be more interested in coworking spaces, which get 16% more saves and 23% more shares.

Wow-factor features are still fueling engagement on Zillow Rentals, but today those amenities look different. Bowling alleys can contribute to 30% more saves and 37% more shares per day, and a putting green drives 25% more daily saves and 40% more daily shares.

Modern farmhouse features like butcher block countertops and barn doors contribute to more than 55% additional saves (58% and 56% respectively) and about 70% more shares per day (69% and 72% respectively) compared to similar homes on Zillow Rentals.  

Methodology

This analysis used listing data from almost 5.6 million homes listed for rent between June 2023 and May 2024 for which complete data was available. This analysis used multiple regression, comparing home views, saves and shares during their active listing period against their home type, region, listing month, rent price, and rent per square foot, as well as the presence or absence of 226 features being mentioned in the listing descriptions.