Fact Check: Do private equity firms own 20% of single family homes? (no < 3%)

No

Large institutional investors, defined as those owning over 100 homes (which includes private equity firms), own 3 percent of the single-family rental stock nationwide according to Brookings. This share is higher in some local markets — in the 20 Metropolitan Statistical Areas where these investors are most present, they own 12.4 percent — but they still own far less than 20 percent nationwide. The Urban Institute similarly finds they own just 3.8 percent of nationwide single-family rental stock.

Considering purchases rather than holdings, investors (those buying non-primary residences) bought nearly 27 percent of all homes sold in the first quarter of 2025. However, most of these purchases are likely by small investors (those who own less than 5 properties), as they own 85 percent of all investor-owned residential properties. Research by John Burns Research and Consulting found institutional investors are buying less than 2 percent of all homes.

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