For several years after 2020, "close to the office" barely factored into where renters chose to live. That's changing quickly. As more employers roll back remote and hybrid flexibility, commute distance is back on the list of things renters actually weigh, and that shift is starting to show up in occupancy and demand data across the country, particularly in markets anchored by large corporate employers.
Key Takeaways
As of October 2025, 56% of Fortune 100 employees faced a five-day in-office requirement, according to JLL's own Q3 2025 Office Market Dynamics report, with 97% of Fortune 100 companies requiring some degree of in-office attendance.
The average weekly in-office requirement across Fortune 100 companies stood at four days as of that same report.
U.S. apartment occupancy climbed above 95% in April 2026 for the first time in seven months, according to RealPage's own market data, and continued rising through the second quarter.
The national apartment market absorbed more than 187,000 units in the second quarter of 2026 alone, per RealPage, a pace notably above average for that time of year.
Renters weighing a lease renewal or a new rental now have real reason to reconsider commute distance, a factor that mattered far less during the height of remote work flexibility.
The Mandate Wave Is Real and Accelerating
Return-to-office policy has moved fast over the past two years. According to JLL's own Q3 2025 Office Market Dynamics report, office attendance hit a fresh post-pandemic high in July 2025, with foot traffic reaching 80% of pre-pandemic levels. By October, 56% of Fortune 100 employees faced a five-day office requirement, and 97% of these companies required some degree of in-office attendance, with an average weekly requirement of four days.
Companies that tightened attendance policies during that same quarter included Ford, 3M, Target, Starbucks, TD Bank, Intel, Samsung, Microsoft, and T. Rowe Price, among many others that have made similar announcements since.
What This Means for Where People Choose to Live
A remote or hybrid employee has enormous flexibility in choosing where to live, since commute distance barely factors into the decision. An employee facing a five-day, in-person requirement doesn't have that same freedom. As more large employers finalize these policies, a meaningful share of renters are back to weighing commute time the way they did before 2020, which tends to push demand back toward properties closer to major employment centers and away from the far-flung suburban or exurban locations that gained popularity during the height of remote work.
The Apartment Market Is Already Responding
This shift shows up clearly in the occupancy data. According to RealPage's own market analytics, U.S. apartment occupancy climbed above the essentially full mark of 95% in April 2026, the first time it had done so in seven months, after declining steadily through the back half of 2025.
That recovery continued into the second quarter, when the nation absorbed more than 187,000 apartment units, a pace RealPage described as notably above average for that point in the annual leasing cycle, with occupancy reaching 95.5%. None of this is proof that return-to-office mandates are the sole driver, but the timing lines up closely with the acceleration in office attendance policy over the same period.
What This Means for Investors and Property Managers
For owners and operators, the practical takeaway is that proximity to major employment centers is regaining weight as a leasing factor after several years of taking a back seat to space, price, and lifestyle amenities. A property that struggled to compete on commute distance during the height of remote work flexibility may find that same location working in its favor again as more renters prioritize a shorter trip to an office they're now required to show up to five days a week.
Reviewing how a specific property's location stacks up against nearby employment centers, rather than relying on outdated assumptions from the remote-work era, is worth revisiting for any owner setting a rent strategy this year.
Not Every Market Will Feel This the Same Way
This shift won't land evenly everywhere. Markets with a heavy concentration of large corporate employers issuing strict RTO mandates, think major financial and tech hubs, are likely to see this effect more directly than markets built around industries less prone to sweeping office mandates.
Public-sector-heavy metros are also worth watching closely, since federal return-to-office requirements have moved in the same direction as the private sector over this same period. An investor evaluating a new acquisition or reassessing an existing property's positioning should weigh the return-to-office trend against what's actually happening with the specific employers driving demand in that market, rather than assuming a uniform national effect.
Our ROI calculator is built for running that kind of market-specific analysis before making a pricing or acquisition decision.
FAQ
How many major companies actually require five days in the office now?
As of October 2025, 56% of Fortune 100 companies required five-day office attendance, according to JLL's own research, with 97% requiring some degree of in-office presence.
Is apartment occupancy actually improving nationally?
Yes. According to RealPage's own data, U.S. apartment occupancy rose above 95% in April 2026 for the first time in seven months and continued climbing through the second quarter.
Does this mean remote work is over?
Not entirely. A meaningful share of hybrid arrangements remain in place, but the clear trend among large employers has been toward more in-office days, not fewer, over the past two years.
Should every landlord expect the same demand shift from this trend?
No. The effect is likely strongest in markets with a heavy concentration of large corporate employers actively enforcing RTO mandates, and weaker in markets less dependent on that kind of employer base.
Rethinking Location as Office Mandates Take Hold
The years when commute distance barely mattered to renters may be behind us, at least for now, and the occupancy data is starting to reflect that shift. Understanding how this trend plays out in a specific market, rather than assuming it affects every property the same way, is what actually turns this insight into a pricing or positioning advantage.
Our property management team can help you take a closer look at how your properties stack up against this shift, market by market.
