Multifamily Resident Turnover Report 2026
We analyzed lease renewals, move-out reasons, complaint logs, and P&L data from 340 multifamily buildings — 42,000+ units across the Northeast — to quantify how much unresolved building odor actually costs.
Key numbers
higher turnover rate at buildings with 6+ months of unresolved odor complaints
average annual avoidable turnover cost per 100 units (before broker fees & unit refresh)
more likely a resident lists 'building smell' as their move-out reason in year 2+ tenants
of odor complaints escalate to written notice within 60 days if unresolved
average full turnover cost per unit (vacancy loss + broker + refresh + repairs)
average vacancy after an odor-driven move-out vs. 41 days for other reasons
Five findings for owners & managers
Odor is the reason residents don't renew — but rarely the reason they cite
In exit interviews, residents cite rent, amenities, and neighborhood. In free-text move-out forms, 'smell' and 'odor' show up in 17% of the same responses. Property managers optimize for the survey answer, not the actual driver.
The cost math on a 100-unit building is uncomfortable
At industry-standard $3,400 full turnover cost per unit and a 14% turnover uplift attributable to unresolved odor, a 100-unit building loses roughly $18,000/year — before broker fees, unit refresh, and reputational damage to online listings.
Vacancy time nearly doubles after odor-driven move-outs
Units in buildings with active odor complaints took 68 days to re-lease on average, vs. 41 days elsewhere. Prospects on tours notice, ask questions, and either walk away or negotiate concessions.
The trash chute drives more complaints than any individual unit
In 71% of buildings studied, the trash chute and compactor room were the dominant complaint source — not neighbors, cooking odors, or pets. Cleaning a chute costs a fraction of one lost lease.
Reactive service is 3× more expensive than a monthly program
Buildings running reactive-only odor service (call the vendor when a complaint comes in) spent 3.1× more per year than buildings on a scheduled monthly odor program — and still had more complaints on record.
Methodology
- • 340 multifamily buildings — 42,000+ units across NY, NJ, CT, MA, PA
- • Mix of Class A luxury, Class B mid-market, and Class C stabilized properties
- • Data sources: PMS renewal data, move-out surveys, complaint logs, and anonymized P&L review
- • Data window: 24 months (2024–2025)
- • Property-level anonymization. No resident-identifiable data collected.
"Owners underprice the cost of an unresolved smell because it never shows up as a line item. It shows up as a shorter lease, a longer vacancy, and a lower renewal rate — three places nobody attributes back to the chute."
— Luften operations team
Press & citation
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