Anyone else seeing higher vacancies lately?

[Jorge Vazquez]

Hey everyone, I’m a property manager and also own 40 rentals myself here in Florida. Between my own units and the ones I manage, we’re sitting at around 300 total. Normally, we’re almost fully occupied, but right now I’ve got about 30 vacancies, definitely higher than usual.

Seems like tenants are slower to commit, more move-in delays, and fewer qualified applications overall. Rents are holding, but demand feels softer.

Here are some of the things I’m doing now, the same strategies I used back in 2008–2010 when the market cooled:

• Putting For Rent signs up wherever HOA allows (old-school still works)
• Teaming up with my property manager to get more exposure and push listings faster
• Sharing rentals on local Facebook and community groups
• Offering small move-in incentives or flexible deposits
• Pricing slightly below market to fill units faster, then adjusting later

Are other landlords doing something similar, or seeing better results with different approaches?