Here's what to know before you rent an apartment or home in Spartanburg County

Spartanburg rental stock has become more scarce and expensive across various price ranges with national housing price surges, according to landlords, tenants and social service workers.

Here's what the numbers say about renting an apartment or home in Spartanburg County.

► In the past year, the median rent in Spartanburg County for studio apartments has increased by 29%. The median rent for a four-bed apartment has risen by 13% to $1,825 a month, according to the latest Zumper rental market study.

► The increase in rental prices can be attributed to increase in demand. From 2020 to 2021, 6,500 people moved into Spartanburg. From 2019 to 2020, 9,110 people moved into Spartanburg, according to data collected by OneSpartanburg, Inc.

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► One is rent-burdened if their rent costs over 30% of their income. They are severely rent-burdened if their rent costs over 50% of their income.

► And yet 22.9% of households in Spartanburg County are severely rent-burdened in 2019, according to the latest SC Housing Needs Report. This corresponds to 7,837 households in Spartanburg. Rental prices have only risen since then, as shown in the Zumper market study.

► Hannah Jarrett, who oversees rental assistance and security deposit assistance programs at United Way, sees most clients seeking assistance renting at around $800 to $1,200 a month, noting that it is what's available whether the clients can afford it or not.

► The 7,223 people on social security or disability income in Spartanburg receive an average of $575 dollars a month, according to the Social Security Office of Retirement and Disability Policy. For many of them, renting is not affordable without government-subsidized housing or vouchers.

► But according to 2013 to 2017 HUD data, the number of subsidized rental housing in Spartanburg can only accommodate 24% of low-income renters, leaving 16,682 low-income renters living in unsubsidized housing, and others without housing.

► Besides prices, income and credit requirements, other upfront costs including security deposits, eviction records, are among some of the biggest barriers to securing a rental home in Spartanburg.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: What to know before renting in Spartanburg County SC