Demand Reality vs. Rent Premium Myths in Senior Housing

Why balance, not premiums, will define the next decade of winners...

The Collision Point

Senior housing is entering uncharted territory. For decades, investors underwrote deals with a familiar formula: build assumptions around rent premiums, forecast steady absorption, and rely on demographic inevitability.

But today’s environment no longer follows those patterns.

As Arick Morton of NIC MAP noted, “The industry doesn’t really have a historical precedent for underwriting to a world where demand is growing at five or six percent a year and supplying one percent.”

The mismatch is rewriting the industry’s rules.

Why Rent Premiums Don’t Tell the Whole Story

It is tempting to assume that a demand wave of this magnitude will unlock aggressive pricing power. Scarcity often creates premiums in other real estate sectors.

However, senior housing is not a luxury good. It is a need-driven service tethered to affordability, trust, and operational execution. Chasing premiums introduces three critical risks:

1. Affordability Gap

Most older adults fall squarely in the middle market. Excessive rent increases push out the very population driving demand, jeopardizing occupancy even when the broader environment favors growth.

2. Reputation Risk

Operators who push residents into financial strain risk damage to community perception, regulatory attention, and strained referral networks.

3. Fragile Pro Formas

Premium-heavy pro formas often look strong in year one, but they are unusually vulnerable. Inflation pressure, staffing volatility, concessions, or a modest increase in competition can erode returns quickly.

What Actually Wins in Today’s Environment

With demand this strong, the high performers will not be those chasing the illusion of endless rent growth. Instead, they will be operators and investors who practice:

Rent Integrity

Disciplined, transparent pricing that builds trust, reduces move-outs, and strengthens lifetime value.

Affordability Strategy

Meeting the middle market where it is and unlocking the broadest portion of unmet demand—not just the top-tier.

Operational Discipline

Running lean, adaptive operations that translate demand into durable NOI, rather than into inflated top-line assumptions.

Durable Capital Structures

Balancing leverage, reserves, and hold periods so communities can withstand cycles and thrive under long-term stewardship.

A Market of Opportunity — and Responsibility

The imbalance between demand and supply is an opportunity. After a decade defined by occupancy challenges, senior housing is entering a period where demand is on the operator’s side.

But abundance without discipline is risky. The winners will be those who balance growth with responsibility—recognizing that demand strength does not remove the need for careful strategy.

The question is no longer whether residents are coming. They are. The question is whether we will adapt our models and assumptions to meet them with integrity and resilience.

Call to Action

As you evaluate opportunities, ask:

Which assumptions in your underwriting reflect today’s realities—and which are holdovers from yesterday’s myths?

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About the Author: Tod Petty serves as Chief Investment Officer at Mainstay Financial Services & Mainstay Senior Living, guiding capital strategy and investor relations. He authors The Build Series—a collection of insights designed to bring clarity and discipline to senior housing investment.