Rent Prices in Chandler up 62%: How Chandler Renters are Adapting

CHANDLER, Ariz. - Renters in the city of Chandler are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of housing in the city.

According to a study by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the average price of rent in Chandler increased by 62% from 2010 to 2020. To keep up with these increased housing costs, residents of Chandler are having to make tough decisions.

Eli Vaquera, 24, lives at an apartment complex on the Cooper and 202 Freeway. He says that the rent for his one-bedroom apartment has gone from $1,500 to $1,700 in the past year.

Before he and his fiancée found their current apartment last year, Vaquera was homeless for 8 months, living on friends’ couches and in their cars.

“I worked as a medical assistant, I thought that would be enough, but I guess not.” Vaquera said.

Now, Vaquera and his fiancée have had to make serious changes to their lifestyle and budget to keep up with rising rent costs.

Vaquera said he had to get a third job and cut back on other costs, such as groceries. He also worries that this summer he will have to make more cuts to his budget to pay for the cost of his air conditioning.

Another renter at the same complex, 19-year-old Krista Angulo, just moved to Chandler from neighboring Gilbert in the past week. She is currently renting a two-bedroom apartment for $1,900 and splitting the cost with a roommate.

Angulo is new to the rental market, and while she said she didn’t have a hard time finding her current apartment, she noted that the other apartments she looked at were “charging more for worse quality.”

Mark Stewart, a member of Chandler City Council, says the City Council is doing its part to provide affordable housing to Chandler residents by approving new apartment complexes.

“We are trying to approve as many projects as possible.” Stewart said.

Stewart believes the current shortage of multi-family housing in Chandler is largely due to the lack of contractors.

A report from the Chandler government shows that, out of nearly 8,000 apartment units in the city, 32% have received approval from the City Council but have not begun construction.

“We have 14 projects approved, waiting on permits.” Stewart said.

Stewart also mentioned that the goal of the city should be to make people homeowners, and not renters. Chandler has a much higher number of homeowners compared to renters, with only 35% of residents renting, including those in single-family homes.

As for the rent prices themselves, Stewart says that it is the role of the housing market to set prices, and not the city government.

David Leibowitz, spokesman for the Arizona Multihousing Association, says there is a simple answer as to why rent prices have continued to go up in the city: the housing supply has not kept up with rising demand.

Leibowitz said, “If you’re trying to find a one-bedroom apartment in Chandler for less than $1,000, good luck.”

Leibowitz said that the city has not done enough to build more housing, with only “a few dozen” affordable housing projects being built in the past decade. He cites the city bureaucracy as a key reason why.

“There’s a difference between receiving approval, being plotted, and getting the building permits.” Leibowitz said.

According to Leibowitz, the process of planning new housing developments is also costly, which can prevent developers in Chandler from building new housing in the city.

“If you want to build a 500-unit apartment complex, before you move any dirt, you’ve got to be prepared to spend over a million dollars.” Leibowitz said.

Leibowitz also disagrees with the sentiment that the goal of the city should be to make renters into homeowners, saying that some people choose to downsize as they get older, and that others prefer less upkeep than one spend as a homeowner.

“There are always people who are going to be renting,” Leibowitz said, “Some people just prefer to rent.”

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