by Students are the center of Boston’s rental market, and as September 1 draws near, there are much more unsigned leases in some neighborhoods than in previous years due to changes in international students’ status.
According to data obtained by the Boston Pads, certain neighborhoods are suffering greatly because overseas students make up a quarter of the student body at several universities.
Thousands of international students attend universities like Harvard, Boston University, and Northeastern University, which together generate around $4 billion for the Massachusetts economy. Some of those students are anticipated to be off campus this year due to the Trump administration’s increased visa screening and travel restrictions.
Harvard stated that their enrollment data will be available later in the autumn, while BU and Northeastern did not respond to a request for information regarding international student attendance.
According to data provided by the Boston Pads, the availability rate of Mission Hill, Fenway, and Cambridge is far greater than it was last year, with less than two weeks till move-in. Meanwhile, the rest of Boston is keeping up.
I have thirty years of experience in both technology and real estate. Boston Pads CEO Demetrios Salpoglou told Boston.com, “I’ve never seen anything like this.” It’s really sharp. Not every neighborhood is affected; rather, it’s the close proximity to numerous universities that heavily rely on foreign funding or enrollment.
Mission Hill, Fenway see high availability rate compared to Boston overall and last year
According to Boston Pads data, the availability rate in Mission Hill is more than 90 percent more than it was at this time last year. Additionally, Fenway’s availability rate is greater than Boston’s overall availability rate and about 10% higher than the neighborhood’s rate from the previous year. Additionally, the availability rate in Fort Hill, a tiny area close to Roxbury, is about 80% higher than it was in 2024.
Although Brighton and Allston are near BU, which has a sizable number of international students, the availability rates there are more in line with the norm for this season.
According to Gabriella, a business manager with Kenmore Properties, who chose not to use her last name for work-related reasons, renting apartments in the Kenmore area took longer, but it eventually filled out. However, there are still many units available at Mission Hill.
Salpoglou stated that several leases have been signed and that the rents have decreased.
Each landlord must make their own choice. Each landlord follows their own intuition. According to Salpoglou, each person chooses when to stop paying their rent. After reading this and realizing what was going on with the overseas students, the landlords in Allston made the smarter decision to intervene a little sooner.
Although Cambridge’s availability rate is up 20% from the previous year, it is still less than a percentage point greater than Boston’s. Gabriella added that she is working with a good number of units that are still available close to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
International clients are way down, realtor says
According to Gabriella, a business manager at Kenmore Properties, half of their clientele is often made up of foreign workers and students. “It’s closer to 20 percent this year,” she said.
People in other countries who are prepared to sign apartment leases are currently being worked with by Kenmore Properties.
However, the administration is keeping their visa statuses in purgatory until the last minute, so they are unable to even apply, she told Boston.com. Our firm has been impacted since it has caused many leases that everyone is prepared to sign but is awaiting the necessary documentation to stall.
However, Gabriella anticipates a few students to arrive.
Fortunately, the number of international students renting has increased in the last few weeks, she noted. I predict that there will still be a significant number of people seeking for rentals in September of this year, and that there will still be flats available.
Molly Farrar works for Boston.com as a general assignment reporter, covering topics such as politics, crime, and education.
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