Apartment rents are continueto rise across the country, but particularly on the West Coast.According to a new report from Rent Café,apartment rents are up 3.1% nationally, but growing West Coastcities are exceeding the national growth. San Diego apartment rentsare up 5% and rents in Phoenix have increased 6.8%. Las Vegas isalso seeing substantial rent growth, up 6.2%, according to thereport. These three cities are on the list of the top five marketsfor apartment rent growth.

“Strong economic metrics and healthy demand for rentals fromboth older renters who are postponing homeownership due to risinghome prices and from the increasing number of young rentersentering the market continue to drive apartment rates up,”Nadia Balint, the author of the report, tellsGlobeSt.com.

While the rent growth is significant, it is not the dramaticrent growth of years past. However, Balint says not to take that asa sign that the market is decelerating. “Although these are not thebooming growth rates we were seeing about two years ago, the marketis by no means decelerating,” she explains. “Occupancy rates areincreasing and the demand holds. Rents have been rising steadilysince bottoming out last fall, when the year-over-year growth ratewas 2.2%, posting a 3.1% increase on a year-over-year basis inAugust this year, the highest rate we've seen in 18 months. This iscertainly affected by the high demand typical during the peakrental season, but it is also the product of a broader issue.Apartment deliveries are seeing some delays, with new apartmentcompletions falling below the initial estimates for 2018, whichputs pressure on prices.