That onslaught of new apartments has lowered rents — but Tampa's rental decline is far less than other metro areas in Florida, said Shawn Rupp, Colliers senior vice president.

Tiny-home builder Escape Homes runs a popular neighborhood of its units near Tampa, Florida. Escape is expanding its tiny home community with six fully furnished rentals, each for $1,350 a month ...

Just under 25% of apartments in Tampa are owned by private equity firms, according to the non-profit watchdog Private Equity Stakeholder Project, which studies the industry.