The result was that the effective rent that tenants were paying was declining - as it should in a soft market.

However, Dallas is among the largest cities in the U.S. where rent declined significantly.

But rents have declined rather than increased over the last five years.

But now, as rents decline, they are pressed to find less expensive tactics without compromising safety.

Actual rents, after factoring in landlord concessions, declined even more, many real estate experts say.

The asking rent declined to $29.27 a square foot from $32.06 a square foot in the third quarter of 2002.

A year ago, the Feathered Nest survey reported that rents in 1992 either declined or stayed the same for all types of apartments.

Instead of rising, rents declined as the recession took hold, and new leases were scarce.

In an analysis of over 6,000 transactions, she found rents had declined steadily since 1987 on several types of apartments.

In the broader area of Midtown South and downtown, rents declined 1.5 percent in the same period.