In December 2023, Yardi Matrix released its National Self Storage Report detailing the state of the market at the end of the year. As the housing market cools down, storage facilities suffer from lower occupancy and falling rates. However, with new home sales expected to stabilize and storage development slowing, some are optimistic that occupancy and street rates could see an uptick.
Self-Storage from December 2023 Report
Street Rates
- Annual street rate growth remains negative (but stable) across all top metros, with Miami, Fla., seeing the weakest performance in November (-9.1% year-over-year). The metro has seen street rate performance "slip substantially" throughout 2023, according to the report
- Monthly street rates also declined in November, with Chicago, Ill., experiencing the largest drop (-2.0% month-over-month) and Portland, Ore., the lowest (-0.6% MOM)
- The national average combined street rate sits at $16.57 per sf in November 2023, a 1% drop from the previous month
New Supply
- The national new-supply pipeline remained unchanged in November, but the number of abandoned projects is increasing
- Several Sun Belt metros like Orlando, Tampa, and Atlanta have seen weak street rate performance due to consistent new-supply activity
- New York City, despite having a substantial amount of new supply, has maintained strong demand due to its low relative storage supply per capita
- Over the past three years, Philadelphia, Pa., has delivered the largest amount of new supply (+17.1% of starting stock), while Seattle, Wash., has seen the least new supply additions (+3%)
Lease-Up Supply
- Lease-up supply impacts street rates differently in different metros, with New York City's strong demand absorbing new supply well, while Philadelphia's weak demand struggles with its large amount of new supply
- Over the past three years, the national self-storage market added 8.6% of its existing inventory in new supply, with the past year alone contributing 2.7% of that total
- Construction activity increased the most in Charleston, S.C., but due to strong demand, the new supply is expected to be absorbed without significantly impacting rates
Overall, the self-storage market is facing some headwinds due to the slowing housing market, but it remains stable and new supply is starting to slow down. Some Sun Belt metros are struggling with weak demand and heavy new supply, while other markets like New York City are able to absorb new supply thanks to strong demand.
Click here to read the full Yardi Matrix report.
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