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The impact of new housing supply on the distribution of rents

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  • Mense, Andreas

Abstract

I estimate the impact of new housing supply on the local rent distribution, exploiting delays in housing completions caused by weather shocks. A 1% increase in new supply (i) lowers average rents by 0.19%, (ii) effectively reduces rents of lower-quality units, and (iii) disproportionately increases the number of second-hand units available for rent. Moreover, the impact on rents is equally strong in high-demand markets. Employing a quantitative model, I explain these results by second-hand supply: New supply triggers moving chains that free up units in all market segments. The estimate translates into a short-run demand price elasticity of −0.025.

Suggested Citation

  • Mense, Andreas, 2025. "The impact of new housing supply on the distribution of rents," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 127192, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:127192
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    Cited by:

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    3. Ariel Binder & Max Risch & John Voorheis, 2025. "Housing Capital and Intergenerational Mobility in the United States," Working Papers 25-55, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    4. Buchholz, Maximilian & Kemeny, Tom & Randolph, Gregory & Storper, Michael, 2026. "Inequality, not regulation, drives America's housing affordability crisis," SocArXiv 95trz_v1, Center for Open Science.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets

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