Renters answer this question the same way every year, and the industry keeps mishearing it. Zillow’s 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report finds that 93% call staying within their initial budget essential when deciding where to rent, more than any other attribute tested. Common building amenities finish last at 39%. Budget preference alone is not an argument for fee transparency. The stronger evidence is what renters say about the bill: 94% want listings to show all fees, and 76% want those fees included in the total rent. Owners read the demand for a clear price and approve another rooftop deck, because they hear a product question. Renters are asking a price question, and the price they have in mind is not the one printed on the listing.

Renters Rank Budget First And Amenities Last

Behind budget come preferred neighborhood and preferred number of bedrooms, both at 81%. Pet policy lands at 65% and broadband at 64%. A home that is newly built or recently renovated draws 43%, and the gym and the common areas sit at the bottom.

The survey also finds that nine in ten renters think they should be able to opt out of paying for a service they do not use. That is not a demand for cheaper housing disguised as a preference for amenities. It is a demand to know what the housing costs. The industry has spent years answering a request for a price with a product catalog.

The Advertised Rent Is Not The Price Most Renters Pay

This is where a preference becomes a structural problem. 65% of renters pay at least one recurring fee on top of rent, and 60% pay one that has nothing to do with a pet. Among renters who moved recently the share reaches 77%, and among renters under 30 it climbs to 82%. Utility fees show up for 44% of renters. The amenity fee, the charge for the common areas, reaches 18%.

Looking costs money too. Roughly three quarters of renters surveyed reported paying an application fee, and the median among those who paid anything was $75.

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So a renter comparing two........

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