SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A recent report claims rent in Sacramento is at an all-time high due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Apartment List, rent in Sacramento is up by 10% year-over-year compared to the national index that is only up by 5%. The report shows rent in Sacramento is growing at double the national average.
"When I first moved to the area my rent was $800 a month and now it’s $1400," Kenneth Parker, a Sacramento resident, said, adding despite his and his girlfriend's good salaries, they still struggle to pay rent.
"I have my own dog walking business, Sacramento Dog Walkers, and if I have to try to raise my rate, even $5 per client, to meet the housing cost my clients freak out," Parker explained.
According to Apartment List, the median monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Sacramento is up $150 dollars from this time a year ago to $1,640.
"I think what we have been seeing is that as remote work has taken ahold of more and more folks are less tied to being close to a job site more folks are taking advantage of that flexibility to move to the more affordable parts of the state," said Chris Salviati, an Apartment Listing Spokesperson.
Zack Alber is a realtor in Sacramento. He says he noticed the price of rent go up in the city when the eviction moratorium was put in place due to the pandemic.
"The rent has gone up so much a lot of people are renting with two families in one house now," Alber said.
Unfortunately, Alber does not believe that the prices of rent will go back down to how it was before after the moratorium expires.
"I love the city, I don’t want to leave but unfortunately people, like myself, they will be priced out," Parker said.
