Rents Are Already High - USC Expects Them to Soon Be Even Higher
LOS ANGELES - Renters in the county are expected to soon pay even more for average monthly rent, according to a USC forecast released Tuesday. The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate's Casden Real Estate Economics Forecast projects the county's average rent will increase from $2,362 to $2,469 by June 2029.Available apartments are also expected to become harder to find. The county's vacancy rate is projected to fall from 5.6% in June to 4.87% as renters fill vacant units.The forecast covers the broader county market, including the Westside. Its averages do not predict rent changes in individual neighborhoods.The report found Los Angeles and Orange counties remain chronically short of apartments, along with Ventura County. It pointed to San Diego County and the Inland Empire as examples of how building more housing can ease pressure on rents."Housing cannot be affordable unless we have plenty of it," said forecast author Moussa Diop, an associate professor of real estate at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.Los Angeles County has seen an increase in apartment permits following post-wildfire permitting reforms. During the first half of 2026, permits ran 60% above the previous year's monthly average.But the report said it remains unclear how
Los Angeles County, CA · 15h
