Calculating your vacancy rate is straightforward once you know the Vacancy Rate formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Vacancy Rate Calculator.
What is Vacancy Rate?
The Vacancy Rate calculation tells you your vacancy rate from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the vacancy rate, expressed in percent.
The Vacancy Rate formula
The core formula is:
Vacancy rate = Vacant units ÷ Total units × 100Here is what each input means:
- Vacant units — a number. Example: 2.
- Total units — a number. Example: 20.
How to calculate it step by step
- Write down the vacant units (for example, 2).
- Write down the total units (for example, 20).
- Apply the formula above to get your vacancy rate.
- Double-check the result with the Vacancy Rate Calculator.
Worked examples
Example 1
| Input / Output | Value |
|---|---|
| Vacant units | 2 |
| Total units | 20 |
| Vacancy rate | 10.00% |
| Occupancy rate | 90.00% |
With vacant units of 2 and total units of 20, the vacancy rate works out to 10.00%.
Example 2
With vacant units of 4 and total units of 20, the vacancy rate works out to 20.00%.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Vacancy rate | 20.00% |
| Occupancy rate | 80.00% |
Example 3
With vacant units of 1 and total units of 20, the vacancy rate works out to 5.00%.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Vacancy rate | 5.00% |
| Occupancy rate | 95.00% |
Tips for an accurate result
- Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
- Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
- Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.
- Annual rates must be converted to the period you are calculating for (for example, divide an annual rate by 12 for a monthly figure).
Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Vacancy Rate Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.
Related calculators
Continue exploring real estate calculators with these tools: Down Payment Percentage Calculator, Property Management Fee Calculator, Stamp Duty Calculator, Real Estate Commission Calculator, Price Per Acre Calculator.