PropFit · Calculators · Vacancy cost

What does an empty rental cost you?

Every week a rental sits empty costs about a 52nd of a year's rent: $577 a week on a $2,500 apartment, or $2,308 for a four-week gap. A $100 rent cut costs $1,200 over a 12-month lease, so it pays for itself if it fills the place about 2 weeks sooner.

Updated November 4, 2026 · Estimates for illustration, not financial or legal advice.

Monthly rent$2,500 Weeks empty between tenants4 weeks Rent cut you're weighing$100/mo

What the empty weeks cost you

$2,308

Rented Empty, out of 52 weeks

Every week empty: $577
Share of a year's rent: 7.7%
The rent cut, over a 12-month lease: $1,200
It pays for itself if it fills the place sooner by: 2.1 weeks

Fill it with a renter who fits

How to work out vacancy cost

A year's rent spread over 52 weeks gives you what each empty week costs.

Cost of a vacancy = monthly rent × 12 ÷ 52 × weeks empty

That's the rent you don't collect. The bills don't stop while the place is empty: mortgage, property tax, insurance, utilities and upkeep all keep running, so the real cost is higher.

Cut the rent, or wait?

A lower rent costs you every month of the lease. An empty week costs you once. The break-even is the number of weeks the cut has to save:

Break-even weeks = rent cut × 12 ÷ (monthly rent × 12 ÷ 52)

On a $2,500 apartment, a $100 cut costs $1,200 over a 12-month lease, which is the rent from about 2.1 weeks. If the lower price fills the place more than two weeks sooner, the cut wins. If it would rent just as fast at the higher price, it doesn't.

Cost of empty weeks, by rent

Lost rent only, before the costs that keep running while the place is empty. Break-even assumes a 12-month lease.
Monthly rent	1 week empty	4 weeks	8 weeks	$100 cut break-even
$1,500	$346	$1,385	$2,769	3.5 weeks
$1,800	$415	$1,662	$3,323	2.9 weeks
$2,000	$462	$1,846	$3,692	2.6 weeks
$2,500	$577	$2,308	$4,615	2.1 weeks
$3,000	$692	$2,769	$5,538	1.7 weeks
$3,500	$808	$3,231	$6,462	1.5 weeks
$4,000	$923	$3,692	$7,385	1.3 weeks
$5,000	$1,154	$4,615	$9,231	1.0 weeks

Shorter gaps

List before the current tenant leaves. Most of a gap is the time between move-out and the first serious applicant.
Price it right from day one. A price that's too high costs you empty weeks; the break-even above tells you how many a cut is worth.
Show the requirements up front. Renters who already know they qualify apply faster, and fewer applications fall through.

Questions

Straight answers

How do I calculate the cost of a vacant rental?

Multiply the monthly rent by 12 and divide by 52 to get the cost of one empty week, then multiply by the weeks it sits empty. On $2,500 a month, that's $577 a week.

Should I lower the rent or wait for a tenant?

Work out the break-even: the cut times 12, divided by a week's rent. If the lower price fills the place more than that many weeks sooner, cut it. On $2,500, a $100 cut breaks even at about 2.1 weeks.

What is a vacancy rate?

The share of the year a place sits empty. Four empty weeks out of 52 is a vacancy rate of about 7.7%.

More calculators

Run the other numbers

How much rent can I afford?Your income, against the 40× and 3× rules. Income needed for a rent2×, 2.5× or 3× the rent, per paycheck, and your gap. The 40× rent ruleThe income you need for a given rent, with or without a guarantor. True monthly costRent plus the fees a listing adds every month. Cash to move inFirst month, deposit and fees, with New York and Florida rules. What an empty rental costsFor owners: the cost of empty weeks, and when a rent cut pays.

Fill your place with a renter who fits.

PropFit is in early access for owners in New York City and Orlando. Publish your criteria once, and see which renters fit them, criterion by criterion.

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