{"id":674,"date":"2020-09-15T22:57:58","date_gmt":"2020-09-15T22:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/content-manager\/?post_type=studies&p=13226"},"modified":"2020-09-15T22:58:33","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T02:58:33","slug":"people-are-moving-14-percent-less-in-boston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.renthop.com\/research\/people-are-moving-14-percent-less-in-boston\/","title":{"rendered":"People are Moving 14% Less in Boston"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you live in Boston<\/a>, you are probably no stranger to moving truck permits. Contacting moving companies and packing up is one hassle. But you also need to apply for a moving truck permit and post the \u201cno-parking\u201d sign. Otherwise, you’ll be in for a rude awakening on move-in day.<\/p>\n

Moving truck permits partially reflect the housing demand in Boston. The number of issued moving truck permits usually surges each year from August through the first couple of days of September in accordance with the college move-in days. Generally speaking, the more moving truck permits issued, the more real estate activity there is.<\/p>\n

As one of the major cities hit hard by COVID-19, Boston saw a huge decline in renter demand. This year, we examined how the pandemic affected the Boston housing market, specifically by reviewing the number of moving truck permits issued.<\/p>\n

The number of moving truck permits issued by the city is down 14.7% this year<\/h2>\n

Figure 1<\/a> below summarizes the number of issued moving truck permits with an expiration date between January and September, from 2015 to 2020. In total, 11,885 permits have been issued so far in 2020, 14.7% less<\/strong> than the same time period in 2019.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/a>Figure 1<\/div>\n

Knowing the totals is not good enough. By comparing the number of moving truck permits issued by month in the past six years, we could better understand the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Figure 2<\/a> below breaks down the number of issued moving truck permits by month, covering the period from January 2015 all the way through September 2020.<\/p>\n

Moving Truck Permits by Month<\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/a>Figure 2<\/div>\n

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was reported on January 20, 2020. On February 1, Boston announced its first confirmed case. As cases soared, the city entered the lockdown in mid-March. Moving came to a halt in April, with the total number of moving truck permits issued fell to 458, the lowest since January 2015 and 47.7% fewer than April 2019<\/strong>. The number continued to stay low through June, putting downward pressure on rents. In Boston<\/a>, one-bedroom median rent was down in 2.6% year-over-year in June 2020<\/strong>, according to RentHop data.<\/p>\n

August topped all previous months in terms of the number of moving truck permits issued in recent years. This is mostly because of the college move-ins (for most colleges, the move-ins were twice as long). Remember, many students moved into dorms, not rental properties, and the surge might not fully represent the demand in the Boston rental market. Once the move-in madness passed, the rental demand could fall again. Based on the data, it looks like September 2020 is on track to be the worst month of September compared to previous ones. The pandemic has driven down the rental demand across Boston. The one-bedroom median rent currently sits at $2,350, 6.0% lower than last year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

West Roxbury, Seaport, and Fenway-Kenmore Experienced Drops in Permits Issued<\/h2>\n

While overall, fewer moving truck permits have been issued so far in 2020, some areas saw more significant drops compared to others. The map below highlights Boston zip codes as well as the number of permits issued in 2020. It highlights the year-over-year change and the difference from the yearly average (2015- 2019). The darker the shades, the fewer issued permits compared to 2019.<\/p>\n