Rental Market Seasonality — When Is the Best Time to List?
Learn how the time of year affects rental prices in Latvia, why August and September yield the best returns, and how Hesti factors seasonality into its model.
Mārtiņš Kozlovskis
Key takeaways
Rental prices fluctuate throughout the year. Demand peaks in late summer and early autumn.
August and September are typically the best months to list — students and workers are searching for new apartments.
Winter and early spring see lower demand, which often translates to lower achievable rents.
Hesti automatically factors in seasonality, showing how your apartment's estimated rent varies month by month.
Why do rental prices change throughout the year?
The rental market isn't uniform year-round. Just like retail has its seasons, the rental market follows clear demand cycles. The main driver is the rhythm of people's lives — students start university in September, workers often change jobs and relocate in summer, and families plan moves before the new school year.
The best months to list a rental
August and September
These are the highest-demand months in the rental market. Key reasons:
- Students looking for apartments before the semester starts
- Workers who changed jobs relocating to a new city
- Families wanting to settle in before the school year
Higher demand means landlords can ask for higher prices and apartments get rented faster.
June and July
Summer months also see rising demand, as many start searching for apartments in advance.
When is demand lowest?
December — February
Winter months are typically the quietest in the rental market:
- Holiday season reduces activity
- Fewer people want to move in cold weather
- Short days and weather conditions discourage apartment viewings
March — May
Early spring is a transition period — demand starts picking up but hasn't reached summer levels yet.
How big is the price difference?
The seasonal impact on prices is typically in the 3–8 % range, depending on apartment type and location. For example:
- An apartment that rents for €500/month at peak August demand might only fetch €470–480/month in January
- In popular student areas, the difference can be even more pronounced
This means choosing when to list can impact your annual income by several hundred euros.
How Hesti accounts for seasonality
Hesti's property valuation model is trained on real market data and automatically includes a seasonal component in its predictions.
When you evaluate a rental price, Hesti shows a price forecast for each month of the year — so you can see when it's most advantageous to start renting and plan accordingly.
The monthly forecast chart is available right after you estimate a property — look for it below the price range.
Practical tips
- Plan your listing in advance. If possible, aim for August/September as your start date
- Use Hesti's seasonal chart to understand how much you could gain or lose depending on the month
- Consider tenant stability. Sometimes a lower winter price with a stable long-term tenant is better than a higher summer price with frequent turnover
- Compare with the market. Hesti's forecast range (low – high) helps you understand where your apartment sits relative to the market