July 2026 Attached and Detached Rents

Detached rents grew slightly faster than attached rents in July 2026, with a gap of 0.2 percentage points between their annual growth rates. That small national difference, calculated from Cotality’s September 17, 2026 release, does not by itself justify materially different revenue forecasts or establish which property can command a higher monthly rent.

July attached versus detached rental growth

Cotality’s Single-Family Rent Index reported these national changes from July 2025 to July 2026:

These are annual changes, not increases during July alone. The figures reflect the September release; Cotality revises its indexes with each release. Source and methodology.

The spread gives investors a comparison to investigate, but it does not establish a persistent advantage to build into a multiyear acquisition model. Keep the release date alongside the observation month when comparing this reading with other rental data and reports.

Which properties enter the single-family index?

The methodology in the dated release explicitly includes attached and detached single-family homes and condominiums, using Multiple Listing Service rental listing data. Cotality’s coverage definition therefore reaches beyond freestanding houses.

For an investor comparing a condo with a detached house, that inclusion makes the index relevant to both sides of the search. It does not make the attached reading a condo-only estimate. Nor should an acquisition team treat the overall reading as a detached-home benchmark simply because the series carries the single-family name. Check that coverage when choosing a benchmark for single-family rental investing.

What repeat pairing controls

The release specifies repeat pairing. An original methodology paper published October 18, 2021, by CoreLogic researchers Molly Boesel, Shu Chen and Frank Nothaft, explains the mechanism: match successive rental records for the same address. Tracking the same properties helps control for changes in the property mix that can move a simple median.

Consider a hypothetical month in which more large houses enter the rental sample. A median could rise even if no individual house became more expensive to rent. Following the same addresses over time reduces that composition problem.

But following each property does not turn attached and detached rentals into matched substitutes. They can differ in neighborhood, size, condition and amenities. The national growth gap cannot isolate the effect of sharing a wall or establish what a particular renovation would earn. Evaluating an acquisition still requires evidence about the property and its competitors.

Faster growth does not establish a higher rent

A percentage change needs a starting value. For arithmetic only, suppose an attached rental previously rented for $2,500 a month and a detached rental for $2,000. Applying the reported annual rates produces:

These are invented starting rents, not Cotality rent estimates or forecasts. The attached example retains the higher rent and gains more dollars despite its slower percentage growth.

Holding the starting rent constant makes the small spread easier to assess: on a hypothetical $2,000 monthly rent, a 0.2-percentage-point difference equals $4 a month. That calculation shows the scale of the gap; it supplies no evidence that either rate is achievable at a particular address.

Build revenue assumptions from local leasing evidence

For a September acquisition review, start with recent comparable leases for each candidate’s property type and neighborhood. Record bedrooms, size, condition, parking and relevant amenities. Separate asking rents from completed leases, and identify concessions before treating two headline rents as equivalent.

Then separate three inputs in the rental revenue assumptions:

• Starting rent: What do comparable leases support at this property today?
• Future growth: What local evidence supports the chosen annual changes?
• Collected revenue: What allowances are being made for vacancy, concessions and unpaid rent?

Applying an index rate to an unsupported starting rent leaves the central valuation problem unresolved. Ask a local property manager to review the comparable leases and leasing assumptions. Test the acquisition with slower growth and longer vacancy as well as the base case, while budgeting property expenses separately. For an occupied purchase, examine the existing lease before assuming market movement becomes immediate revenue.

If the model assigns detached homes stronger future growth, document the local evidence behind that choice. The national comparison can prompt that review; a property-specific forecast or renewal proposal needs its own support.