Category Archive : Rentals

LAS VEGAS, NV – The Nevada State Apartment Association (NVSAA) released a report earlier this week indicating that the apartment marketplace of Las Vegas is showing definite signs of stabilizing after months of skyrocketing rents and low availability, while nonetheless remaining one of the very fastest-growing markets in the United States.

The report shows that, in the third quarter of 2021, apartment rents in Southern Nevada jumped an eye-opening 22 percent when compared to the corresponding period of time in 2020. The current average apartment rent in Las Vegas is $1,403 per month, representing a $255 increase year-over-year, when the average rent in the region was $1,148.

NVSAA Executive Director Susy Vasquez noted that the report is good news for Southern Nevada, as its previous rate of growth was not sustainable in the long-term.

“Rents are stabilizing as we enter the time of year fewer people tend to move,” she said. “Rents are expected to continue increasing, but not at the rate we’ve experienced this year. The growth rate of the past 12 months is just not sustainable for a healthy market.”

In addition, the average apartment vacancy rate in the third quarter of 2021 was 3.9 percent; this number represents a sizable decrease from the third quarter of 2020, when that number was at 5.4 percent.

The NVSAA noted that Las Vegas is still holding on as one of the fastest-growing apartment marketplaces throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 data indicates that the number of residents of Clark County has jumped by approximately 40,000 people – or 2 percent of the overall population – over the course of the last year.

The fact that the county’s population has continued to swell despite the effects of the pandemic and subsequent business lockdown measures speaks to the region’s quickly-recovering economy and increasing job growth in the recovering leisure and hospitality sectors.

The report also indicated increasing growth in apartment construction, with 6,300 new units currently in development during the third quarter of 2021, as opposed to only 3,800 units in the second quarter.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The southernmost edge of the Las Vegas Valley is going to be the recipient of a new upscale apartment complex, compliments of a developer hailing from Atlanta, Georgia that had previously opened another rental property across town during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wood Partners is currently in the process of building a new 228 unit project – dubbed Alta Southern Highlands, which broke ground in August 2020 – situated in proximity to the M Resort, located off Southern Highlands and St. Rose parkway, which is slated to be completed and open their doors for business in early 2022.

According to the company’s website, Alta Southern Highlands will possess “next-level finishes” and numerous high-end amenities for residents, including a game lawn, a fitness facility with yoga studios, and more.

The project, upon completion, will no doubt help to address the intense demand in the Las Vegas Valley for rental apartments; during the pandemic, many people moved into the valley – especially from out-of-state – to work remotely while taking advantage of the lower cost of living the area afforded.

However, soon rental space became harder and harder to come by, and correspondingly, rents began to climb in response to the demand; in August, the average rent of a home in Las Vegas was $1,718, which represents a 25 percent increase over the same period of time one year prior.

According to a report released by listing website Zillow, the degree of rent growth in Vegas was the fastest among the 50 metro areas that they examined; projects like Alta Southern Highlands will help to address the demand for rental properties in the region, in addition to stabilizing prices that so far are raising affordability concerns among local residents.

Wood Partners also built a 347-unit apartment complex that is currently completed and open in Henderson, called Alta NV.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Amid skyrocketing demand and a shortage in options on the open market, finding affordable housing in Las Vegas is becoming difficult to achieve for some residents, citing steadily rising rents in the valley – which reports say are seeing some of the highest increases nationwide –  as the reason why.

Some Southern Nevada residents are reporting that the cheapest monthly rents they are encountering when looking among available inventory of two-bedroom apartments on the market is ranging from approximately $1485 in the valley’s northeast area to as high as $1700 in Henderson and $1850 in the southwest.

In addition, a report published recently indicates that rents in Henderson have ballooned by as much as 45 percent from one year ago.

Of course, contributing to the rental issue is the fact that Las Vegas is still in the grip of a housing and rental shortage that developers are struggling to address, with numerous apartment complexes and housing communities currently in the works that real estate experts are saying are expected to help stabilize rents in the region once they are completed.

But in the meantime, reports indicate that owners and investors are currently testing the waters in terms of seeing how much they can get for their rental properties in a red-hot marketplace, often increasing their asking prices in light of any amenities that their properties possess, such as it being a newer build or if it has a pool.

However, until more house and apartment rentals are available in Las Vegas – with more and more projects are being announced and started by the day – some local residents are expressing sincere concern over finding affordable places to live in the meantime.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The mansion of Scott Gragson – a Las Vegas-based real estate broker who is currently serving time in prison in connection with a fatal drunk-driving accident – has been listed on the rental market, for the whopping price of $50,000 per month.

The mansion, located at 5 Promontory Ridge Drive in The Ridges – a wealthy master-planned community in Summerlin – is described as a “desert contemporary masterpiece,” comes in at 10,621 square-feet in size, is fully furnished, and features six bedrooms.

The residence also features a number of posh amenities for its tenant, including clear views of the famed Las Vegas Strip, a private movie room, a guest house, a gym, and a basketball court.

If security is a concern, the mansion also has a a series of two gated entrances with a guard on-duty.

Gragson, 55, had been arrested on May 30, 2019, after he had been involved in a drunk-driving crash in The Ridges that left Melissa Newton, a 36-year-old mother of three, dead. Gragson pleaded guilty in February 2020 to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of DUI resulting in substantial bodily harm and was sentenced to eight-to-20 years in prison.

In addition to the prison term, Gragson had also reached a settlement deal to pay restitution to Newton’s family in the amount of $21 million; he would pay $12.8 million, and his insurance company would pay the remaining $8.2 million.

Additional settlements were also reached with the surviving passengers of the vehicle – Greg Tassi and Christie Cobbett – although the amounts of those have not been publicly revealed. A third passenger, Christopher Bentley, is set to begin his civil suit against Gragson this November.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – A new state law that was signed by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak on June 4 will, once it officially goes into effect next year, require that Clark County – and a number of cities – to tax all short-term vacation rentals (STVRs) within the city’s limits, in addition to imposing a number of other regulations upon the industry as well.

Assembly Bill 363, due to go into effect July 1, 2022, only applies to counties with over 700,000 residents – currently Clark County only –  and cities with over 25,000 residents, which includes Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas. In addition, the bill will override the ban on STVRs that’s currently in-place in some of Clark County’s unincorporated areas, and will establish a number of rules governing them. Bill 363 mandates that the municipalities it covers establish a series of regulations covering owners of STVRs to:

• Have a state business license
• Pay an annual fee after acquiring local authorization
• Designate a local representative for the rental
• Maintain liability coverage, and
• Collect lodging taxes from guests

In addition, Bill 363 lays out a number of other rules that cover how STVRs can be utilized and where they can be located:

• Guests must stay a minimum of two nights in a non-owner-occupied property and one night in an owner-occupied property
• Short-term rental properties must be located at least 660 feet away from each other
• Vacation rental properties must be located at least 2,500 feet away from resort hotels
• Vacation rentals within a multifamily dwelling are limited to no more than 10 percent of units
• No more than 16 guests may stay in a short-term rental property
• Operators may hold no more than five local authorization permits per state business license
• Short-term rentals are prohibited in apartment buildings
• Governments must establish specific requirements for noise, trash, and security
• Short-term rentals are not allowed in communities with homeowners associations unless the association expressly allows them

Officials of local governments covered by this law are also required to establish and enforce penalties of operators of STVRs deviate from any of these rules, although certain minimum fines are laid out in the law; in addition, local governments are also allowed to create their own rules that are tailored for their individual needs and circumstances.

Third-party companies that facilitate short-terms rentals, such as Airbnb and Vrbo, are also required to collect taxes from individuals who utilize their services, in addition to having to submit reports each quarter to the cities they are operating in.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – Auric Symphony Park, a new luxury apartment complex situated in downtown Las Vegas, was recently unveiled by Nashville, Tennessee-based developer Southern Land Company, providing some much-needed housing options in that part of the city.

Southern Land Company’s vice president of multifamily development west, Kevin House, said that the developer’s founder, Tim Downey, feels that Auric Symphony Park will “revitalize” the downtown Las Vegas area.

“I think we were probably taking a little bit of a leap when we bought the site,” House said. “Tim, the founder of our company, really saw the vision of the area and saw what the city saw so we were excited to buy in and become part of the area.”

House said that new businesses and entertainment establishments that have recently set up shop in the vicinity – such as The Smith Center for the Performing Arts and World Market Center – will create the need for more housing for employees and tourists, saying that “We’ll bring even more bodies and more life to the area.”

Auric Symphony Park – which took two years to complete – features one- and two-bedroom apartments – varying in size from 591 square feet to 1,452 square feet – with rents ranging from $1,495 to $3,100 per month.

The apartment complex features a plethora of lush amenities for its tenants, including two-story cabanas overlooking a large pool area, a gym that offers residents on-site fitness classes, bike storage with a workshop area, a pet spa and pet park offering free tennis balls for pets, and a resident’s lounge on the fifth floor with impressive views of the Las Vegas cityscape.

In addition, the property also boasts approximately 21,000 square feet of ground level retail and restaurant space. Auric Symphony Park began renting units in early July; currently, the 324-unit complex is about 30 percent pre-leased and 18 percent occupied.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

Last week, the United States Supreme Court struck down the Biden Administration’s nationwide eviction moratorium; however, is unlikely to have any impact whatsoever upon tenants facing eviction for nonpayment of rent due to a recently-passed piece of legislation in the state of Nevada which offers ironclad protections for those who have applied for federal rent relief funding.

Kaila Leavitt, president of Leavitt Evictions, noted that Assembly Bill 486, which prohibits eviction if a tenant has applied for federal rent relief funds, potentially offers more protections than the recently-overturned eviction ban put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Here in the state of Nevada, we have [Assembly Bill 486] which arguably protects tenants more than the federal moratorium does,” she said.

A previous eviction moratorium issued by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak ended on May 31; the moratorium enacted by the CDC, which targeted counties with high COVID-19 transmission rates, would have expired on October 3 if it had not been struck down last week by the Supreme Court.

Leavitt noted that AB 486 offers protections for 90 days for renters that have applied for federal relief funds and are awaiting the outcome of their case, allowing them to remain in their homes whether or not they are currently paying any rent to their landlords.

However, according to Leavitt, that may not be the case in terms of constitutional legality, and despite the fact that a renter may have applied for federal funds, it may still be possible to evict them for nonpayment of rent.

“I think many landlords were under the impression that the federal moratorium got extended again, they couldn’t evict. And that was just not the case,” she said. “When the tenant gets the notice, they don’t communicate with their landlord. They don’t respond. They just think they can’t be evicted and they just write it off. That’s just really not the case.”

AB 486 is due to expire on June 5, 2023, or when the $360 million in rental relief funds allotted to Nevada is spent.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The United States Supreme Court on Thursday issued a ruling that struck down the latest eviction moratorium enacted by the Biden Administration – stating that it can only be extended via Congressional legislation – clearing the way for potentially millions of evictions across the country to begin.

The newly-invalidated eviction moratorium was initially issued on August 3 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); this was done after a previous ban was allowed to lapse on July 31 after the Supreme Court had ruled that it could only continue through an act of Congress, which failed to materialize due to lack of support.

Nonetheless, the Biden Administration issued a more targeted eviction moratorium, aimed at areas with high infection rates; President Job Biden himself told reporters that he doubted it would pass Constitutional muster, but hoped that time eaten up by legal challenges would give states more time to distribute $46.5 billion in federal rental assistance funds. The moratorium had originally been scheduled to expire October 3.

The new moratorium – much like the original – was aimed at preventing homelessness by not allowing evictions due to financial hardship experienced from the COVID-19 pandemic; however, the Supreme Court declared Thursday that it was beyond the CDC’s authority.

“If a federally imposed eviction moratorium is to continue, Congress must specifically authorize it,” the Supreme Court’s ruling stated, effectively ending the eviction ban immediately.

Liberal Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Breyer, dissented from Thursday’s ruling.

The eviction moratoriums have been an especially strong hardship for smaller mom-and-pop landlords; currently, according to reports, as many as 15 million households in the United States owe a combined total of approximately $20 billion in back rent, with about 58 percent of tenants currently behind on rent.

Meanwhile, landlords have been forced to not only allow their tenants to live for free in their properties, but they have also been required to maintain the properties out of their own pockets, driving many to financial ruin.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – According to a recent study, the eviction moratoriums enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help reduce homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic have had the incredibly negative side-effect of proving extremely costly to both Nevada landlords and the state’s overall economy.

The positive benefit to Nevada’s economy that is generated by the state’s residential rental industry is estimated to have decreased by a full 9 percent – or a whopping $511 million – in 2020 when compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to the report released last Thursday.

In addition, lost wages and their subsequent lack of contribution to the state’s economy due to the eviction bans have cost Nevada approximately $12.6 million in lost sales and use tax revenue in 2020 as well.

The report also found that small mom-and-pop landlords – who make up the majority of the rental marketplace in Nevada – have suffered the most financially from the eviction bans, with an average loss of approximately $1,870 per unit. In addition, landlords with over 30 units have been deprived of about $350 per unit, with an average of $422 per unit lost between March 2020 and February 2021.

Nevada Realtors and Nevada State Apartment Association President Brad Spires noted that the report helps put this damage caused by the CDC eviction moratoriums into perspective from an economic point of view.

“It reinforces what we’ve been saying throughout this pandemic about the disproportionate harm these policies have had on individual property owners who depend on rental income to survive,” he said.

The report arrived at these findings by surveying 140 landlords and property management firms, who own a combined 21,000 units among them.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The U.S. Court of Appeals issued a ruling on Friday that upheld the eviction moratorium enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on August 3, after the previous eviction ban was allowed to lapse by Congress. The next stop for the case, filed by a group of Alabama and Georgia landlords, is the Supreme Court, which is slated to hear the case this week.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against the plaintiffs who were seeking to block the new moratorium, but the landlord groups quickly pivoted and filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court. In turn, Chief Justice John Roberts has ordered the administration of President Joe Biden to respond to the lawsuit by 12pm on Monday.

“As five Members of this Court indicated less than two months ago, Congress never gave the CDC the staggering amount of power it claims,” the motion filed by the landlords read.

This quote in the motion refers to the previous decision rendered by the Supreme Court in June that allowed the CDC’s first eviction moratorium to remain in-place until its original expiration date of July 31. However, Brett Kavanaugh – who voted with the 5-4 majority in that ruling – noted that he would not support any further extensions of the eviction ban without the approval of Congress, which failed to materialize.

After the ban was allowed to expire, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced the new eviction ban, citing the rapid spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. The new ban applies to counties where at least 50 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people have been reported over the past seven days, which currently covers nearly 95 percent of all U.S. counties.

The new ban is set to expire October 3, but can be lengthened or shortened based on changes in the spread of the virus.

President Biden himself has admitted to reporters that the new CDC eviction ban many not be constitutional, but noted that any legal challenges would grant extra time for states to distribute federal rent relief funds.

LAS VEGAS, NV – North Las Vegas is set to receive a slew of new rentals homes soon to help address Southern Nevada’s intense housing demand, as an Arizona developer has announced that they are set to break ground on a tract of dwellings later this year.

Rental homes have made up a growing segment of the housing market in Las Vegas, as the booming economy and the slow-but-steady withdrawal of the COVID-19 pandemic have given rise once again to the need for affordable rental properties.

Avenue North, originally opening their doors for business in 2011, is looking to begin development of the 165-unit project –  which will be built on nearly 12 acres running along Simmons Street, just south of Ann Road – within the next three or four months, according to founder Ryan Hartman.

The property itself was purchased by Avenue North in late 2019, and Hartman notes that the development – which will be in partnership with Arizona real estate firm Harvard Investment – will be coming in at approximately $50 million in cost.

In addition to feature single-family homes with backyards, the project will also include such amenities as a clubhouse, fitness center and a pool, just like many high-end apartment buildings.

While most of the houses will be stand-alone, detached models, Hartman noted that 29 of them are planned to sit on top of a row of five parking garages, one garage going to the home sitting atop it, and the other four being made available to rent to other tenants in the development.

Hartman’s project is his first ground-up rental development in Southern Nevada, he said, adding he has multiple projects in Phoenix and is looking to buy land for more in the Las Vegas area.

Build-to-rent housing communities have been rising in popularity with renters, developers, and investors, with noted companies such as American Homes 4 Rent, The Calida Group, and Moderne Communities getting in on the action in Southern Nevada.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is expected to issue a ruling this week as to whether or not the recent eviction moratorium set in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will be allowed to continue.

The new, limited moratorium was imposed by the CDC on August 3, 2021, covering areas with substantial and high transmission of COVID-19 – currently covering about 90 percent of the U.S. population – in response after a previous moratorium, originally set in place on September 4, 2020, had expired on July 31, 2021.

The Court of Appeals set an expedited schedule in response to a lower court’s ruling on Friday, when U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich declared the CDC’s eviction moratorium to be illegal, but nonetheless said that she was forced to allow it to stand for the time being, stating that her “hands are tied” by a previous decision handed down by an appellate court earlier in the year.

The Justice Department has been given by the Court of Appeals until 9 a.m. Tuesday to respond; the plaintiffs, made up of Alabama and Georgia realtors, have until Wednesday morning. Both parties have requested that the court issue its ruling on the matter by Thursday, with the realtors stating that “This Court should do what the district court thought it could not.”

If the Court of Appeals does not end the CDC’s eviction moratorium, the plaintiffs are expected to take the matter to the Supreme Court, who had previously ruled against the previous moratorium being ended before its July expiration date. However, Justice Brett Kavanaugh – who had voted not to end the eviction ban early – also noted that he would also reject any additional extensions without Congressional legislative action, which failed to take place.

Shelter Realty is a Real Estate and Property Management Company specializing in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.