Tariff Uncertainty Affects Multifamily Construction Starts

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Current tariff policy is causing multifamily uncertainty about future years as multifamily construction starts have plummeted from 2022 peak

Current tariff policy is causing multifamily uncertainty about future years as construction starts have plummeted from the 2022 peak, Yardi Matrix says in a supply forecast.

The current under-construction pipeline is set to deliver 536,000 units in 2025 and 422,000 in 2026.

The report says construction starts moderated significantly in 2024.

“The large decline will drive a slowdown in new supply in 2026. However, elevated completion times and a still-large under-construction inventory imply that supply will not completely bottom until 2027,” writes Ben Bruckner, senior research analyst for Yardi Matrix, in the report.

The report says tariff policy has added a great deal of uncertainty to how multifamily construction starts will unfold in the remainder of 2025. The forecast assumes starts will be at a similar-to-slightly-lower pace than what was recorded in 2024.

Yardi Matrix continues to forecast that new supply will bottom in 2027, with a gradual recovery taking hold in 2028 through 2030.

“As always, Yardi Matrix is extremely focused on accurately maintaining our development-pipeline data and identifying any changes in its evolution that will have a meaningful impact on future new supply,” Bruckner writes.

Read the full report here.

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