Rental market report · October 2026
Seattle rental market report, October 2026
Single-family rents, rent by bedroom, what is on the NWMLS today, the HUD anchor and the rules that set this month's renewal letters, for owners of a rental house in Seattle.
The median single-family rent in Seattle is $3,150 a month in October 2026, down 4.4% from October 2025. Across every rental type the median is $1,955 (down 2.2% from October 2025), and a listing takes a median 15 days to lease. On the NWMLS, 177 Seattle rentals were active on October 15, 2026, 52 of them houses asking a median $4,498. HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a 3-bedroom in Seattle's ZIP codes runs $2,890 to $4,120, and the 2026 cap on a renewal is 9.683%.
Median rent
$1,955
all rental types, October 2026, licensed data
Single-family median
$3,150
707 house listings, licensed data
Active single-family rentals
52
of 177 Seattle rentals on the NWMLS, October 15, 2026
Days on market
15
median, licensed data
Rent by bedroom
What each size rents for in Seattle.
| Size | Median rent (October 2026) | Active on the NWMLS | NWMLS asking median | HUD FY2027 SAFMR (ZIP median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,395 (639 listings) | 19 | $2,250 | $2,170 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,600 (1,075 listings) | 28 | $2,200 | $2,260 |
| 2 bedrooms | $2,495 (831 listings) | 56 | $3,200 | $2,640 |
| 3 bedrooms | $3,599 (479 listings) | 46 | $3,898 | $3,440 |
| 4 bedrooms | $4,495 (125 listings) | 17 | $4,750 | $4,100 |
| 5+ bedrooms | $5,395 (32 listings) | 11 | $6,850 | — |
Licensed medians are listing-weighted across the city's 15 report ZIP codes. NWMLS figures are the brokerage-listed rentals active on October 15, 2026; no median is shown from fewer than 5 listings.
Twelve months
Where Seattle rent moved since October 2025.
| Month | Median rent | Single-family median |
|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | $2,000 | $3,295 |
| November 2025 | $1,995 | $3,100 |
| December 2025 | $1,954 | $2,950 |
| January 2026 | $1,884 | $3,100 |
| February 2026 | $1,900 | $3,000 |
| March 2026 | $1,850 | $2,995 |
| April 2026 | $1,841 | $3,050 |
| May 2026 | $1,850 | $3,000 |
| June 2026 | $1,905 | $2,900 |
| July 2026 | $1,995 | $3,195 |
| August 2026 | $1,895 | $3,495 |
| September 2026 | $2,000 | $3,200 |
| October 2026 | $1,955 | $3,000 |
By ZIP code
The 15 ZIP codes behind the Seattle numbers.
| ZIP | Median rent | Single-family median | Listings | HUD 2-bed SAFMR | HUD 3-bed SAFMR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98103 | $2,150 | $2,800 | 460 | $3,000 | $3,910 |
| 98115 | $1,955 | $3,695 | 226 | $2,950 | $3,850 |
| 98117 | $2,750 | $3,250 | 137 | $2,780 | $3,620 |
| 98105 | $1,600 | $3,500 | 373 | $2,800 | $3,650 |
| 98116 | $2,031 | $3,900 | 125 | $2,520 | $3,290 |
| 98118 | $2,245 | $3,399 | 158 | $2,430 | $3,170 |
| 98125 | $1,725 | $2,975 | 219 | $2,640 | $3,440 |
| 98133 | $1,716 | $3,000 | 283 | $2,580 | $3,360 |
| 98144 | $1,895 | $3,500 | 185 | $2,640 | $3,440 |
| 98199 | $2,645 | $4,200 | 111 | $3,010 | $3,920 |
| 98122 | $1,793 | $2,730 | 432 | $3,160 | $4,120 |
| 98107 | $2,195 | $2,875 | 220 | $3,040 | $3,960 |
| 98126 | $1,694 | $3,150 | 115 | $2,270 | $2,960 |
| 98108 | $2,700 | $3,200 | 74 | $2,220 | $2,890 |
| 98106 | $2,550 | $3,150 | 101 | $2,490 | $3,250 |
If you own one house here
What this month means for a Seattle landlord.
- Pricing a vacancy. Start from $3,150, this month's single-family median, then move for bedrooms, condition and parking: the bedroom table above is the band a Seattle applicant will compare you against, and 52 houses are competing on the NWMLS today.
- The cap. A renewal on a $3,150 rent can rise at most $305 a month in 2026 (9.683%), with 180 days' written notice in Seattle; a new tenancy is not capped, so a vacancy is the one moment the rent resets to market.
- Placement timing. At a median 15 days on market, a home listed 29 days before the move-out date leases without a vacant month; the cost of a mispriced listing is the days it adds, not the dollars it asks.
RexMont Rent Read
What would your Seattle house rent for in October 2026?
Your monthly rent range in seconds, next to what the home would sell for today and the rent-vs-sell math. Estimate, not an appraisal.
Estimate, not an appraisal. Rents from RexMont’s licensed NWMLS data and licensed rental comps; the full read with the comps goes by email.
Homes for rent now
The 5 newest Seattle rental listings on the NWMLS.
Active rentals as listed by their brokerages, newest first, refreshed hourly. Asking rent, bedrooms and the listing office are shown as reported to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
$4,750/mo
MLS# 259506011048 Lotus Place S
Seattle, WA 98178
Listing courtesy of Lori Gill & Assoc. Prop Mgmt
$3,250/mo
MLS# 25950641029 Belmont Avenue E #305
Seattle, WA 98102
Listing courtesy of Keller Williams Eastside
$3,200/mo
MLS# 259060313551 35th Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98125
Listing courtesy of Skyline Properties, Inc.
$5,500/mo
MLS# 25950135756 25th Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Listing courtesy of The Cascade Team
$2,755/mo
MLS# 25945942100 Third Avenue #503
Seattle, WA 98121
Listing courtesy of Pointe3 Real Estate
Your property management team
The people managing your Seattle rental.
Grisel Castro
Property Manager · WA Lic. #137529
Leads leasing, pricing, renewals, and owner strategy
Real people, not a call center. Adriano Tori, Designated Broker (WA Lic. #27660), is accountable for every account.
FAQ
Seattle rents — questions owners ask first.
What is the average rent in Seattle in October 2026?
Across every rental type, the median rent in Seattle is $1,955 a month in October 2026 (average $2,330), from licensed rent data covering 3,219 listings in 15 residential ZIP codes, down 2.2% from October 2025. By bedroom: studio $1,395, 1 bedroom $1,600, 2 bedrooms $2,495, 3 bedrooms $3,599, 4 bedrooms $4,495, 5+ bedrooms $5,395.
How much does a single-family house rent for in Seattle?
The median single-family rent in Seattle is $3,150 a month in October 2026, across 707 house listings in the licensed data. On the NWMLS, the 52 houses active on October 15, 2026 ask a median of $4,498. HUD's FY2027 Small Area Fair Market Rent for a 3-bedroom in Seattle's ZIP codes runs $2,890 to $4,120.
How many homes are for rent in Seattle right now?
177 Seattle rentals were active on the Northwest Multiple Listing Service on October 15, 2026: 52 houses, 57 condominiums and 40 townhouses (19 studio, 28 1-bedroom, 56 2-bedroom, 46 3-bedroom, 17 4-bedroom, 11 5+-bedroom). The NWMLS carries the brokerage-listed share of the market; apartment communities and owner-listed homes on rental portals are not in that count, which is why the licensed rent series above covers more listings.
How much can a Seattle landlord raise the rent in 2026?
9.683% on a covered tenancy for 2026 (RCW 59.18.700, published by the Washington State Department of Commerce), with no increase in the first 12 months of a tenancy. On a $3,150 rent that is at most $305 more a month. Seattle requires 180 days' written notice for any increase (SMC 7.24.030); the state floor is 90. A new tenancy is not capped, so the asking rent on a vacancy is set by the market figures in this report.
What is the HUD Fair Market Rent for Seattle?
HUD sets Small Area Fair Market Rents by ZIP code for the Seattle-Bellevue metro. For FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), Seattle's 15 report ZIP codes run $2,220 to $3,160 for a 2-bedroom and $2,890 to $4,120 for a 3-bedroom; the metro-wide FMR is $2,549 (2-bedroom) and $3,324 (3-bedroom). FMRs are 40th-percentile gross rents used for Housing Choice Vouchers, a floor-of-market anchor rather than a target for a single-family house.
Other cities
This month in the other five reports.
- Bellevue rental market report$4,100 median single-family rent
- Kirkland rental market report$3,850 median single-family rent
- Redmond rental market report$4,100 median single-family rent
- Issaquah rental market report$3,950 median single-family rent
- Sammamish rental market report$4,145 median single-family rent
Monthly, by email
The Seattle Journal
One email a month: what sold, what is listed, what it means for Seattle owners and buyers. Written by Adriano Tori, Designated Broker.