Investing metrics
Loss to lease
The difference between a unit’s stated market rent and the contract rent in place for the same period, under a defined reporting method.
Glossary
Investing metrics
Loss to lease compares market rent with in-place contract rent. If a unit’s supported market rent is $2,000 and its contract rent is $1,850 for the month, the nominal loss to lease is $150. Portfolio reports sum or annualize that difference under a stated method.
The metric is not the same as vacancy, concessions, bad debt, or collection loss. It also is not cash that can automatically be captured: rent regulation, lease terms, renewal timing, unit condition, resident retention, and market evidence constrain the decision.
A defensible report preserves the market-rent source and date, current lease version, effective contract rent, concessions treatment, occupied period, and aggregation method. Otherwise a changed asking-rent assumption can rewrite history.
Formula and example
For a defined period: supported market rent minus contract rent. State whether the report uses monthly scheduled rent, effective rent after concessions, or another measure, and do not mix methods across units.
How to use it
Use loss to lease to identify leases for review and to explain portfolio revenue positioning. Pair it with renewal probability, turnover cost, days vacant, collections, and make-ready needs before recommending a rent action.