Accessibility over price: tenant preferences, retention and regulatory coverage in Manila's University Belt rental market

Renting has become a durable tenure for young urban Filipinos, yet little is known about how tenants in student-dominated submarkets choose and keep their housing. This study examines tenants in Metro Manila's University Belt (U-Belt) using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design: a stratified survey of 423 tenants across five rental types, followed by 15 in-depth interviews, with host interviews (n = 43) and operator consultations (n = 51) used to contextualize tenant-reported friction. Fifty-four items across eight decision domains were ranked by weighted average. Transportation access ranked first, followed by security, amenities and location, while rental pricing ranked last. Walkability, travel time, high-speed internet, kitchen access and secure entry each drew more than 95% agreement and function as non-negotiables. In-person viewing was near-universal because online listings were considered unreliable, and digital payment was widely preferred alongside persistent demand for cash. The interviews suggest a threshold model of retention: tenants stay while non-negotiable conditions hold and leave when one is violated or a life-stage transition shifts their location needs, often moving within the same building rather than exiting. About half of respondents pay more than the ₱10,000 monthly ceiling of the Philippine Rent Control Act, placing them outside rent regulation. The findings offer a ranked, demand-side account of a Southeast Asian student rental submarket and point to transport, disclosure and regulatory coverage as priorities for operators and policymakers.