Rent EstimatorHow much can I rent my house for? Northern Virginia, 2026
Enter the ZIP and the home. Get a rent range from 21,027 closed leases, the leases behind it, and how accurate it has been.
What will your home rent for?· Lyon Village, Arlington
Numbers: Ahmed’s Bright MLS closed leases. Pictures: artist’s renderings of real places.
The estimator
Rent estimate by ZIP code.
96 Northern Virginia ZIPs with closed leases on file.
Listed when 5 or more leases closed there. It sharpens the estimate.
Estimated rent
The range is where about 8 in 10 similar homes leased. Condition, finishes, a fenced yard or a finished basement can move a home to either end. Your full report uses the closest similar leases to your exact home.
Type the ZIP or the town, then the home. The estimate changes as you type. It opens on a 3-bedroom Brambleton townhouse (ZIP 20148, mailing city Ashburn). Nothing you enter is saved or sent.
Updated October 22, 2026Leases closed October 22, 2024 to October 22, 2026About a 4-minute read, plus the tool
Quick answer
In the last 12 months a typical Northern Virginia house leased for a median of about $2,950 to $5,125 a month depending on the county, and a 3-bedroom townhouse in Fairfax County for a median of $3,200.1 Your home’s rent depends on its ZIP, size and bedrooms, so the estimator below gives a range for yours. Tested on 2,573 recent leases, 70.2% of its estimates landed within 10% of the real rent.2 List in spring: homes leased fastest in May.
Renting in six numbers
Houses and townhouses, Bright MLS closed leases, October 22, 2024 to October 22, 2026
Median = the middle lease: half rented for more, half for less. Days on market = from listing to lease, as reported in Bright MLS.
Tested, not promised
How accurate is it?
No rent estimate is exact, so we tested this one the hard way. We hid every lease that closed from July 1, 2026 to October 22, 2026 (2,573 leases) and estimated each one using only leases that closed before it, the way the estimator works for you today.2
| Version | Within 5% | Within 10% | Typical miss |
|---|---|---|---|
| This page: ZIP, neighborhood and the home’s facts | 41.3% | 70.2% | 6.3% |
| Townhouses on this page | 75.1% | ||
| Houses on this page | 61.9% | ||
| Ahmed’s full report: the closest similar leases to the exact home | 49.1% | 77.8% | 5.2% |
Key finding: townhouses are easier to price than houses, because rows of similar homes lease side by side. Houses vary more, from lot size to finishes, so for a house the range matters more than the middle number. Zillow publishes an accuracy figure only for its home-value Zestimate, not for its Rent Zestimate (checked October 22, 2026).3
Rents now
How much is rent in Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William and Arlington?
Closed leases in the last 12 months (October 23, 2025 to October 22, 2026), houses and townhouses only. Groups with fewer than 10 leases say “too few”.1
| County or city | 2 bed | 3 bed | 4 bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County | $2,650320 leases | $3,2002,112 leases | $3,500579 leases |
| Loudoun County | $2,62578 leases | $3,1951,051 leases | $3,500458 leases |
| Prince William County | $2,45051 leases | $2,800780 leases | $3,000215 leases |
| Arlington County | $3,150111 leases | $4,325156 leases | $5,02536 leases |
| City of Alexandria | $3,550169 leases | $4,000319 leases | $5,02558 leases |
| City of Fairfax | too few | $3,55031 leases | $4,05014 leases |
| City of Falls Church | too few | $4,45022 leases | too few |
| City of Manassas | too few | $2,69069 leases | $2,97516 leases |
| City of Manassas Park | too few | $2,90023 leases | too few |
| County or city | 3 bed | 4 bed | 5+ bed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax County | $3,450408 leases | $4,000991 leases | $4,850567 leases |
| Loudoun County | $3,25088 leases | $4,100186 leases | $4,750153 leases |
| Prince William County | $2,840142 leases | $3,500337 leases | $3,950164 leases |
| Arlington County | $4,000160 leases | $4,900160 leases | $6,55087 leases |
| City of Alexandria | $4,00047 leases | $4,77542 leases | $5,43816 leases |
| City of Fairfax | $3,45025 leases | $3,80022 leases | too few |
| City of Falls Church | too few | too few | $7,47511 leases |
| City of Manassas | $3,00013 leases | $3,50011 leases | too few |
| City of Manassas Park | too few | too few | too few |
Median the middle lease of each group: half rented for more, half for less.
Timing
The best month to list a rental.
The two cards count each lease by the month the home was listed. The chart below counts every closed lease from October 22, 2024 to October 22, 2026 by the month it closed: bars count the leases; the gold line is the median days on market.1
Best month to list
April or May
- 12 days median to lease
- 84% leased at the full asking rent
- +2.3% rent per sq ft vs the yearly average
Worst month to list
October
- 26 days median to lease
- 41% had to cut the asking rent
- −4.3% rent per sq ft vs the yearly average
The gap: rent per square foot ran about 7% higher for homes listed in April than in October. On a home renting for $3,500 a month, that is about $230 a month, and 14 more days empty. From 20,532 Bright MLS closed leases, October 22, 2024 to October 22, 2026, by the month the home was listed (close date minus days on market).
Timing isn’t luck. It’s a decision. Right month, right price, right condition: that’s how a home leases fast.
Key finding: list in late winter or spring. Homes leased fastest in May (median 11 days) and most leases closed in July and June, around the turn of the school year. From October to February homes sat about twice as long (December: 29 days), and rent per square foot ran about 8% lower in November than in March. When does your lease end? The lease-end planner ›
Before you list
Five steps to the top of your range.
Price it from closed leases
Asking rents are wishes; closed leases are what tenants paid. Start from the range above, then place your home by its condition.
Fix, paint and clean first
Fresh paint, working systems and a clean yard move a home toward the top of the range and shorten the wait.
List in spring if you can
Homes leased about twice as fast in spring as in early winter. A lease that ends in May or June is easier to fill next time.
Screen the same way for everyone
Use one written standard (income, credit, references) for every applicant. Fair housing laws protect renters as well as buyers.
Use a Virginia lease
Virginia’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Act sets the rules for deposits, notices and repairs.4 The landlord checklist on the profit simulator walks through them.
Questions
What owners and investors ask about rent in Northern Virginia.
How much can I rent my house for in Northern Virginia?
It depends most on the ZIP, the kind of home, the size and the bedrooms. In the last 12 months a 4-bedroom house in Fairfax County leased for a median of $4,000 (middle half $3,600 to $4,500, 991 leases) and a 3-bedroom townhouse for a median of $3,200 (2,112 leases), from Bright MLS closed leases. Enter your home in the estimator for a range, or text Ahmed for a report on your exact home.
How accurate is this rent estimator?
We tested it on the 2,573 leases that closed from July 1, 2026 to October 22, 2026, estimating each one only from leases that closed before it. 70.2% of estimates were within 10% of the real rent and 41.3% within 5%; the typical miss was 6.3%. The range it shows held the real rent 78.5% of the time. Townhouses are easier (75.1% within 10%) than houses (61.9%).
Is this more accurate than Zillow's Rent Zestimate?
We can't say, because Zillow publishes an accuracy figure only for its home-value Zestimate, not for its Rent Zestimate (checked October 22, 2026). This page publishes its own tested accuracy, with the dates, and always shows a range instead of one number.
When is the best time to list a rental in Northern Virginia?
Spring. Over the last two years homes leased fastest in May (median 11 days on market) and the most leases closed in July and June. December was the slowest month (median 29 days). Rent per square foot ran about 8% higher in March than in November.
Why does the estimator leave out condos?
Condos rent differently: the building, its fees and its rules drive the rent as much as the unit does. This estimator is built only on detached houses and townhouses you own outright (fee simple); leases in condo or co-op ownership and condo-named communities were removed.
Can I get a rent estimate by address?
Yes, from Ahmed. This page asks only for the ZIP and, if you like, the neighborhood, plus the home's facts, so nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere. For your exact address, text Ahmed: the full report uses the closest comparable leases to your home and was more accurate in testing (77.8% within 10%, against 70.2% for this page).
How much should I charge for rent?
Start from what similar homes nearby actually leased for, not what they were listed at. Price inside the range this estimator shows: toward the top if the home is updated, has a garage and lists in spring; toward the middle in late fall and winter, when homes sit longer. A home priced right usually leases within a few weeks; if it sits past 30 days with few showings, the price is the first thing to check.
How much is rent in Loudoun County, VA?
In the last 12 months a 3-bedroom townhouse in Loudoun County leased for a median of $3,195 (1,051 leases) and a 4-bedroom house for a median of $4,100 (186 leases), from Bright MLS closed leases, houses and townhouses only. ZIP, size and age move it a lot: use the estimator for your home.
Your next step
Renting out your home? Get the real number first.
Tell me the home and I will send you the closest comparable closed leases, what they had that yours has or lacks, and the rent I would list at. I answer in English or Arabic.
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Keep exploring
More numbers for owners and investors.
Rental profit simulator
Cash flow, loan paydown and appreciation, worst to best case.
Home valuationWhat is your home worth?
Comparable closed sales near you, checked by hand.
TimingBest month to rent out
Best and worst month to list, by county, with a lease-end planner.
MarketThe housing market now
This year’s prices and sales, dated.