Tampa Bay ranks 3rd among most vacant US metros

Tampa Bay ranks No. 3 among all U.S. metros for overall vacancy rates, according to a new report from Anytime Estimate.

The report found Tampa Bay has a vacancy rate of 13.71% – out of the area’s 1,436,297 housing units, 196,948 are empty.

For comparison, the average U.S. vacancy rate is 11.6%. Vacancy is a hot topic, with a decreasing rate is causing rent and home prices to rise.

Four out of the seven cities with vacancy rates exceeding the national rate are in Florida, in areas with vacation homes and short-term rentals, or that’ve been affected by natural disasters.

– Kelly Hayes, Extensive Enterprises Media