Vacancy vs. Rental Rate Break-Even Calculator
Cutting the rent to fill a vacancy faster feels productive — but it usually costs more than the vacancy itself. See exactly how many extra vacant days a higher rent can absorb before a lower rent wins.
Your Numbers
Typical days per year this unit sits empty between tenants at the current rent.
Set this lower to test a rent cut, or higher to test a rent increase.
Your honest estimate of days vacant at the proposed rent — lower if you expect a cut to fill faster, higher if you expect an increase to sit longer.
Enter your numbers to see the verdict
Estimates only, based on a simple daily-rate model (monthly rent × 12 ÷ 365). Doesn't account for turnover costs, make-ready time, or marketing spend — both of which typically make holding out for the right rent an even stronger case.
Vacancy vs. Rental Rate Analysis
It's tempting to cut the rent to fill a vacancy faster — but a lower rent has to work harder, every single day it's occupied, to make up for the price cut. This report compares the current rent to a proposed rate side by side, using real vacancy expectations for each, so the recommendation is based on annual revenue rather than gut feel.
| Current Plan | Proposed Plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly rent | — | — |
| Expected vacancy | — | — |
| Annual revenue | — | — |
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Annual revenue is modeled as a daily rate (monthly rent × 12 ÷ 365) multiplied by days occupied. The break-even point is the number of vacant days at the proposed rent that would produce the same annual revenue as the current plan — below that number, the proposed rent wins; above it, the current rent wins.
This is an estimate and does not include turnover costs, make-ready time, or marketing spend — costs that typically make holding out for the right rent an even stronger case. Actual results depend on current market conditions and tenant demand.
