APARTMENT rents in the US West climbed at a slower pace in the first quarter amid a decline in occupancies and higher unemployment, which cut demand, according to research company RealFacts.

The average monthly rent in 15 US states, most of which are in the West, rose 3 percent from a year earlier to US$993, Novato, California-based RealFacts said yesterday in a statement, obtained by Bloomberg News. That was smaller than the 3.6-percent gain in the first quarter of 2007.

The average occupancy rate fell to 92.6 percent from 93.1 percent a year earlier, and was below the 95 percent rate deemed to favor landlords over renters, RealFacts said.

The drop in occupancies came as the US jobless rate rose last month to 5.1 percent, the highest since September 2005, and employers cut the most workers in five years, according to Labor Department data released this month.

"That is something that really impacts the multifamily market more than anything," said Gerald Cox, director of sales and marketing for RealFacts. "It is very much job-driven."

Rents rose from a year earlier at apartments in all 31 metropolitan areas tracked by RealFacts. The average rent increased the most in the Salt Lake City area, where it rose 9.9 percent to US$803 a month.

Outside of the West, the smallest increase was in Florida's Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater region, where rents gained 0.3 percent to US$863 a month.

Occupancies dropped from a year earlier in 19 of the 31 metropolitan areas, rose in 10, and were unchanged in 2, RealFacts said. The lowest first-quarter occupancies were in the Indianapolis area at 90.1 percent and the Houston area at 90.7 percent.

RealFacts tracks rents and occupancies at about 3.2 million apartment units, all of which are in complexes of 100 or more units each.