monthly mortgage payments were too much that i could handle. reporter: so instead ashford turned to this brand new community built specifically for renters. i don t have to worry about taxes on the home. i don t have to worry about if something breaks. you know, it s the landlord s responsibility. they have large open floor plans. reporter: and an increasing share of the landlords are now big builders like bruce mcneilage s nashville-based kimlock partners. as more americans decide to rent not only by necessity but by choice. we ve had a societal shift to people wanting to rent because they want a maintenance-free lifestyle or they want the ability to move to a city and just give the keys back to the landlord at the end of the lease. reporter: builders put up 68,000 new single-family rental homes last year, a 31% increase over the year before according to john burns research. i think it s at the early stages of being a very, very big business just like the apartment marke
SFR landlords are eyeing opportunities in the slowing US housing market, betting that lower demand from consumers will lead builders to offer discounts