Few apartments are open for low-income renters, but cost drops in some cities

Few rental listings across the largest U.S. cities are flagged as reserved for renters under an income limit, according to a new analysis. (Wyatt Gordon/The Virginia Mercury)Fewer than 1 in 20 rental listings across the largest U.S. cities are flagged as reserved for renters under an income limit, according to new data from Apartments.com. But average income-restricted rent fell year over year in 13 of the 50 markets, compared with three for market-rate rent. Just 4.6% of listings across the 50 largest metro areas were listed as “income-restricted” in the third quarter of this year, whether through public housing, a housing voucher or as a tax-credit property, the report by the rental listing site said.  The finding was based on a sample of more than 70,000 active listings out of the site’s full inventory of over a million apartments. Washington, D.C., while being one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, has the most available income-restricted units at 227, the report