Apartment vacancy in the city of Davis is down and rents are static or up slightly, according to a fall survey commissioned by Student Housing at UC Davis and released today (Feb. 17).

The annual vacancy- and rental-rate survey, now in its 39th year, is designed to provide the campus and the Davis community with information for planning.

According to the survey, 24 apartments, or 0.3 percent, of 8,274 leased by unit were vacant, compared with 160 apartments, or 1.9 percent, of the 8,206 units in last year's survey.

Among those 898 units rented by the bed, 35, or 1.3 percent, of the 2,800 beds were vacant. Last year, 81, or 3.5 percent, of 2,302 beds in 818 units were vacant.

Rents

The majority of respondents reported static or increasing rents.

The average rent for unfurnished two-bedroom apartments — which account for 46 percent of apartments leased by unit in the survey — was $1,373, compared with $1,275 in fall 2013.

The average rental rate for a bed lease was $827 per month, compared with $825 in fall 2013.

Twenty-five apartment complexes, representing about 2,660 units, reported offering incentives to help fill vacancies and attract new residents. The incentives included free or reduced rent at move-in, reduced deposits, waived application fees, free utilities, referral programs and giveaways.

Survey methodology

A total of 134 apartment complexes and property management companies representing 9,922 rental units responded to the fall survey by BAE Urban Economics, a real estate consulting firm in Davis. This represents a 6.3 percent increase in the number of responding complexes and a 1.5 percent increase in the number of rental units covered.

The survey includes apartments in the city of Davis and privately managed apartments on campus: The Colleges at LaRue, The Atriums, Russell Park, 8th and Wake, and West Village.

The report excludes those apartments that require an income-eligibility test to qualify low-income residents for reduced rent because students typically are not eligible for these units.

Student housing

UC Davis, which guarantees housing to new freshman and transfer students, offers about 10,028 beds, including the 3,850 beds in 1,277 privately managed and master-leased units that were included in the survey.

Last fall, it opened the Tercero North Residence Complex with about 1,335 beds for new and continuing undergraduates and the 8th and Wake apartment complex of 60 apartments with 236 beds for graduate students.

The university is in the design phase for the Tercero Phase IV residential complex. The three four-story buildings, scheduled to open in fall 2017, will have a total of 500 beds.

Help to find housing

UC Davis helps students learn about housing options. Student Housing coordinators and property managers in the city of Davis host workshops in fall and winter quarters to help students prepare to look for and secure housing. Topics covered include finding an apartment, living with a roommate, the importance of credit and finance, and leases.

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the Associated Students of UC Davis will host its annual Housing Day to help students find off-campus housing for the following year. Representatives from many Davis apartment complexes provide information on complexes, floor plans and rental rates.

Full survey

A PDF of the full survey report is available at http://housing.ucdavis.edu/vacancy-report/