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How Is the NoVA Rental Market Doing in 2026? June Data & Landlord Insights

Market GuideNoVAVirginia

Updated July 3, 2026 · By The Doorstead Team

Your monthly guide to rental conditions in NoVA. This is our July 2026 report, covering June 2026 rental data: what rents looked like last month, what's driving the market, and what it means if you own a rental home.


NoVA Rental Market Snapshot — June 2026

Here's where NoVA rents stand as of June 2026, across all property types — apartments, condos, townhomes, and single-family homes.

NoVA median rent sits at $2,753 in June 2026, down 1.82% year-over-year and essentially flat month-over-month (-0.27%), while homes are averaging 33 days on market. Landlords are still getting leases signed, but pricing power has eroded and tenants have time to shop around.

MetricValueChange
Median Rent (All Types, NoVA)$2,753-0.3% MoM
Avg. Days on Market33 days
Rent Growth YoY-1.8%

Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all rental property types, June 2026.


What's Driving NoVA Rental Market Conditions Right Now

NoVA Rental Supply and New Construction

New rental supply in NoVA is tightening: Virginia residential building permits dropped more than 10% in 2025, and higher interest rates and material costs are keeping new starts subdued across the Mid-Atlantic. That said, several projects are still moving forward, 304 units via office-to-residential conversion at Tysons, 450 units coming to the McNair Farms area, and build-to-rent development spreading into Loudoun, Prince William, and Fairfax counties. These projects will add inventory, but slowly, so the near-term supply picture across single-family, townhome, condo, and apartment rentals stays fairly constrained.

Why People Rent in NoVA

Federal job cuts from DOGE have put real pressure on NoVA: the Washington metro area lost roughly 64,000 federal jobs and 38,000 professional services positions between December 2024 and April 2025, which has pushed asking rents down in Arlington County and Alexandria specifically. But the region's demand base is broader than any one employer. Amazon HQ2 at National Landing, the Pentagon, the Silver Line tech corridor from Reston to Ashburn, and the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus near Potomac Yard all keep drawing workers who need to rent. With a 30-year mortgage rate sitting at 6.49%, buying stays out of reach for many households, and that affordability gap keeps routing people back into the rental market across every price point.

What This Means for NoVA Landlords

July sits squarely inside NoVA's peak leasing window, when PCS military moves, government contractor onboarding, and school-year timing stack up together and compress the time renters have to make decisions. At 33 days average time on market and a blended median rent of $2,753, units are moving but not instantly, so price sharply for your submarket, make sure your listing is market-ready before June gets away from you, and don't count on July to deliver the same volume of qualified applicants.


NoVA Rent by City — June 2026

Fairfax and Leesburg lead NoVA right now, leasing in 23 and 25 days respectively, the fastest absorption in the market. Arlington sits at the opposite end of the table at 45 days on market, with Fredericksburg not far behind at 40 days, and both cities are the clear outliers for slower demand. Most of NoVA is cycling rentals in roughly three to five weeks, so the spread between Fairfax and Arlington is wider than it looks on paper.

CityMedian Rent2BR Median3BR MedianAvg. DOMMoM Change
Alexandria, VA$2,741$2,733$3,73332 days-0.7%
Arlington, VA$2,532$3,333$4,60045 days+0.7%
Leesburg, VA$3,050$2,350$3,20025 days+0.0%
Manassas, VA$2,650$2,000$2,87534 days+0.0%
Fredericksburg, VA$1,850$1,749$2,60040 days+0.0%
Herndon, VA$2,600$2,300$2,80030 days-1.9%
Fairfax, VA$3,850$2,500$3,40023 days+0.0%
Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, all property types, June 2026. Median Rent is across all property types.
  • Alexandria, VA: Old Town's King Street corridor and Potomac waterfront position Alexandria as NoVA's most walkable historic district, drawing renters who want urban feel without D.C. prices. At $2,741 median rent and 32 days on market, it's leasing faster than most NoVA cities and holding up well year-over-year at +1.0%, even with a slight month-over-month dip of -0.7%.

  • Arlington, VA: Amazon HQ2 at National Landing, the Pentagon, and direct Metro access on the Orange/Silver Line through Clarendon, Courthouse, Ballston, and Rosslyn create a demand floor that keeps Arlington the most liquid rental market in the region. Rents are roughly flat month-over-month (+0.7%) at $2,532 median, but the -1.7% year-over-year slip and 45-day DOM suggest supply has caught up to demand, so pricing competitively from day one matters more here than in most NoVA submarkets.

  • Leesburg, VA: At $3,050 median rent and only 25 days on market, Leesburg is leasing faster than almost any other city in this report, which points to tight supply despite flat month-over-month rents. The -3.2% year-over-year decline is worth watching: rents have pulled back from last year's levels, but the quick absorption suggests the market has found a price where demand is absorbing inventory efficiently.

  • Manassas, VA: Rents are holding steady in Manassas, with both MoM and YoY changes at 0.0% against a $2,650 median. At 34 days on market, homes are moving at a reasonable pace, making this one of the more stable and predictable submarkets in NoVA right now.

  • Fredericksburg, VA: At $1,850 median rent, Fredericksburg is the most affordable city in this report, which attracts renters priced out of closer-in NoVA markets. That said, 40 days on market and a -5.1% year-over-year drop signal softening conditions, so owners should price sharply and not anchor to what similar homes fetched in early 2025.

  • Herndon, VA: Herndon's -1.9% month-over-month and -7.1% year-over-year declines are the steepest in this report, signaling real pricing pressure at the $2,600 median. The 30-day DOM is relatively quick, but that leasing speed is coming at a cost: rents have moved down meaningfully over the past year, and owners who resist adjusting their ask will likely sit longer.

  • Fairfax, VA: The Mosaic District in Merrifield draws millennials and young professionals with its walkable mix of townhomes, retail, and dining, giving Fairfax a renter profile that skews toward higher-income households willing to pay a premium. At $3,850 median rent and just 23 days on market, Fairfax is the fastest-leasing and highest-rent city in this report, and the +3.4% year-over-year gain shows it's the one NoVA submarket where rents are still climbing with conviction.


NoVA Rent by Bedroom Count and Property Type — June 2026

Rent by Bedroom Count in NoVA

Rents in NoVA climb steadily from studios at $1,805 up to 4-bedrooms at $4,035, a spread of $2,230 across the size range. The step from 2-bedroom to 3-bedroom is the sharpest in the lineup at $891, meaning renters moving up to that extra bedroom pay a significant premium relative to any other single size jump. By contrast, the gap between studios and 1-bedrooms is just $105, so renters who need even a modest bedroom get almost no price relief by dropping to a studio. The 4-bedroom median of $4,035 is $720 above the 3-bedroom, a meaningful jump but still smaller than the 2-to-3-bedroom move.

Bedroom Count in NoVAMedian Rent (June 2026)
Studio$1,805
1-Bedroom$1,910
2-Bedroom$2,424
3-Bedroom$3,315
4-Bedroom$4,035
Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings across all property types, NoVA, June 2026.

Rent by Property Type in NoVA

Single-family homes command the largest premium in NoVA, with a June 2026 median rent of $3,530, which is $777 (+28.2%) above the blended median of $2,753. Townhouses follow at $3,247, still $493 (+17.9%) above the blend. On the other end, apartments sit at $2,048, a $705 discount (-25.6%) to the blended median, and their 60-day DOM is more than double the 24 days it takes a single-family home to lease. Condos fall in between at $2,285 and 28 days DOM, but that still puts them $468 below the blended median, reinforcing that attached units broadly lag detached ones on both price and leasing speed.

Property Type in NoVAMedian RentAvg. Days on MarketMoM Change
All Property Types (Blended)$2,75333 days-0.3%
Single Family$3,53024 days+1.2%
Condo$2,28528 days-1.1%
Townhouse$3,24729 days-0.0%
Apartment$2,04860 days+1.1%
Source: Doorstead market data, aggregated from public records and online rental listings, NoVA, June 2026.

Data Sources & Methodology

  • Rental market data: Median rents, days on market, listing counts, and rent change figures. Sourced from county public records, deed and tax assessor data, and rental listings on publicly accessible platforms.
  • Doorstead Platform Data: Internal leasing outcomes from Doorstead-managed rental homes across all property types, including days to lease. Trailing 12 months.

Data refreshed monthly. Doorstead benchmarks reflect managed properties only and may not be representative of the broader NoVA rental market.

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FAQ

What is the average rent in NoVA right now?

The blended median rent across all property types in NoVA is $2,753 as of June 2026, down 1.82% year over year.

How long does it take to rent a home in NoVA?

On average, homes in NoVA are leasing in 33 days across all property types. Single-family rentals move faster, averaging just 24 days from listing to signed lease. Leasing speed varies a lot by submarket, so your specific location and pricing will have a bigger impact than the market-wide average.

Is NoVA a good rental market for landlords right now?

Rents are slightly softer year over year, down 1.82% to a blended median of $2,753, but demand for single-family homes is holding up well with an average of 24 days on market. The story shifts depending on property type: apartments and condos are facing more pressure, while single-family rentals are leasing faster and commanding meaningfully higher rents. Landlords with well-priced, well-maintained homes are still finding tenants quickly.

What is the average rent for a single-family home in NoVA?

The median rent for a single-family rental in NoVA is $3,530 as of June 2026. Three-bedroom homes specifically are coming in at $3,315. Both figures sit well above the blended market median of $2,753, reflecting the consistent premium tenants pay for standalone homes with more space.

How quickly are single-family rental homes leasing in NoVA?

Single-family rentals are averaging 24 days on market in NoVA, about 9 days faster than the blended average across all property types. Priced right, a single-family home in a strong submarket can be under lease in under a month. Overpricing by even $100–$200 can add weeks to your vacancy, which quickly erodes any gains from holding out for a higher rent.

Which NoVA suburbs have the best single-family rental demand right now?

Fairfax and Leesburg are the tightest submarkets right now, leasing in 23 and 25 days respectively. Arlington is the softest spot, averaging 45 days on market, nearly double the pace of Fairfax. Suburb matters a lot when you're setting your asking price, so before you list, run your address through a free rent estimate from Doorstead to see what your specific home should actually command.

Should I rent out my NoVA home or sell it?

Selling converts your appreciation into cash today; renting layers cash flow, ongoing appreciation, and rent growth on top of each other over time. Rents in NoVA are at a blended median of $2,753 and trending down slightly at -1.82% year over year, so rent growth isn't a tailwind right now, but the math on any individual property hinges on your mortgage rate, purchase price, and tax situation far more than market-wide medians. Run your numbers through Doorstead's rental investment calculator, which projects cash flow, appreciation, rent growth, and 10-year equity both pre- and post-tax.

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