Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the single-family rental market has been increasingly attractive to tenants — and investors. The Single-Family Rental Market Index, jointly produced by the National Rental Home Council and John Burns Real Estate Consulting, shows strong growth in the single-family rental market during the initial months of the pandemic, April through June. The index rose to 76 in second quarter 2020, up from 63 in the first quarter. (The index runs from 0 to100; scores below 50 signal the market is contracting, while those above 50 signify that it’s expanding.)

“As the COVID crisis reverberated throughout the economy in the second quarter this year, demand for single-family rental homes surged,” says David Howard, executive director of the National Rental Home Council. “Most Americans will be working and studying from home for the foreseeable future. So they’re looking for affordable homes in quality neighborhoods with all the amenities and conveniences