New data from the 2024 NMHC and Grace Hill Renter Preferences Survey Report shows that connectivity shapes renters’ leasing decisions and living experience.
Since 2013, the NMHC and Grace Hill Renter Preferences Survey Report has offered a comprehensive exploration of contemporary renter sentiments and the priorities shaping the rental housing landscape. Over time, the biennial report has provided the multifamily industry with some important benchmarks about the features, amenities and services that renters not only value but view as critical to their experience at a property. The ranking of these features and amenities can serve as a guidepost for housing providers when designing new communities and renovating existing communities, both in terms of what they must include and what they could perhaps do without.
One of the most apparent takeaways when we look back at the historical data is how important features and amenities related to connectivity continue to be to renters. Amongst the many criteria prospective residents consider when choosing their apartment homes, connectivity remains a major consideration. Residents expect ease of access and consistency when it comes to Internet access, and as the majority will not rent without this ease and consistency, these features and amenities fall in the “must-include” category for most housing providers.
Here, we examine connectivity data from the 2024 version of the survey, which includes responses from more than 172,000 renters nationwide. Beyond looking at topline figures, we also conducted additional analysis including historical survey responses to uncover demographic trends related to the battery of questions asked surrounding connectivity.
High-Speed Internet and Reliable Cell Reception Top Renters’ Overall Wish Lists
Out of more than 80 features and amenities covered in the survey, high-speed internet and reliable cell reception have consistently ranked as top apartment features and community amenities for renters across the numerous iterations of the survey.
For 2024, 90% of respondents were either interested or wouldn’t rent without high-speed internet—making that the third highest ranking apartment feature this year after air conditioning and in-unit washer/dryer. Similarly, 86% were either interested or wouldn’t rent without reliable cell reception, putting it in the top spot for community amenities. Reliable cell reception also ranked as the highest amenity when only considering the share who wouldn’t rent without (39%).
While residents rely on internet connectivity for a variety of communication and entertainment purposes, the rise of remote work has also underscored the importance of connectivity. Of all respondents in the survey, 52% said they work remotely some or all of the time, and of those who do, 70% either work remotely every day or several days a week.
While many work from their apartments, shared workspaces in community common spaces are also becoming a prominent amenity for today’s renter. And unsurprisingly, always-on and secure Wi-Fi in those shared workspaces is critical. Of those respondents who said they would be interested in using a shared workspace on a remote workday, 92% said free Wi-Fi was very important or absolutely essential.
Respondents were asked about their satisfaction with features and amenities in their existing apartment community in addition to their interest for their future homes. The majority of renters (89%) expressed being very satisfied, satisfied or neutral when asked about their satisfaction with the quality of their internet service. Only 11% of respondents indicated dissatisfaction with their internet service quality.
Residents Expect Quality Connectivity from the Get-go
Convenience and ease of access are also important to residents. The share of respondents either interested in or wouldn’t rent without community-wide Wi-Fi increased from 54% in 2022 to 59% of respondents in 2024. Interest increased for every income bracket, with the largest increases coming from the lowest and the higher income brackets—from 58% to 65% for those with household incomes over $200,000 per year and from 56% to 62% for those making less than $25,000 per year.
Roughly two-thirds (67%) of respondents reported interest in pre-installed Wi-Fi, up from 62% two years prior. The greatest interest came from those over 65 years of age, 77% of whom reported being interested or not willing to rent without pre-installed Wi-Fi.
Forty-six percent of respondents said they had checked their mobile connection while touring rental homes. Separately, 47% considered it somewhat or very important to connect to a property’s Wi-Fi while touring rental homes or community spaces. Respondents 65 and over, however, reported checking their mobile connection considerably less than other groups (33% compared to 50% for those between 35 and 44).
Forty-eight percent of all respondents say a connectivity certification like a WiredScore or ROVR Score would positively influence their decision to lease a rental home, offering them some independent assurance of the quality of connectivity.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents think it either very important or absolutely essential to have internet service available immediately on move-in. For those who worked remotely at least some of the time, 61% thought it absolutely essential to have immediate access. Age was another key determinant, with 56% of those between 25 and 34, 58% of those between 35 and 44, and 57% of those between 45 and 54 reporting it was absolutely essential to have immediate access to internet service upon move-in. 
Renters Show Increasing Interest in Managed Wi-Fi Amid Growing Demand for Seamless Connectivity
When taken together, results from the survey indicate that renters increasingly expect a seamless connectivity experience both within their individual unit as well as throughout their apartment community. This expectation can be effectively met by managed Wi-Fi—a system where residents are connected to the same secure internet system both in their unit and throughout the community—as well as providing immediate access to internet upon move-in, a feature renters overwhelmingly expressed was important to them.
For more information on the 2024 NMHC and Grace Hill Renter Preferences Survey and purchase information, visit nmhc.org/residents.
About Ryan Hecker
Ryan Hecker is the team's Research Analyst, providing support for NMHC's research in housing and apartment industry trends. He graduated from the University of Rochester with a bachelor's degree in Economics and Political Science. Ryan's internship experience includes work on the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB)'s policy team and on FGS Global's government affairs team, where he aided in research on debt solutions and macroeconomic projections as well as covering of congressional hearings.
He can be reached at rhecker@nmhc.org.