Tri-Cities Apartment Vacancy Rates Hover at 2%

That’s right, the rentals are 98-99% occupied. So, for every 100 rental properties, only one or two are available for people to live in because the rest already have people living there.

This is a big problem for anyone looking to rent and not buy. As I detail in this post from almost a year ago, when the problem was the same, there is just nothing available. The problem is compounded when you add a family and a pet.

And, as this KNDU story illustrates, it’s bad news for people down on their luck looking for some shelter just for themselves, never mind 1.86 children and a dog or two.

Department Director for the BFCAC (Benton Franklin Community Action Committee), Debra Biondolillo says it’s not easy finding low income families places to live. Partly because there’s not as many vacant places as years before.

“They are in a position now where they have an over-flux of people applying for these apartments and can be choosy about who they put in these apartments,” said Biondolillo.

So, we need some new construction, which the Herald reported on Sunday, is on its way! Amen!!