# Signing a New Lease This Winter in San Antonio: What the 2026-27 Numbers Say | New San Antonio Apartment Team > Thinking about a move between November 2026 and February 2027? Here URL: https://newsanantonioapartments.com/blog/signing-a-lease-in-san-antonio-winter-2026/ Last-Modified: 2026-10-25 Author: New San Antonio Apartment Team Category: Seasonal Leasing Notes Tags: lease-timing, winter-2026, supply, renewals If you’re planning a move between November 2026 and February 2027, you’re looking at one of the more renter-friendly winters San Antonio has seen. New supply is still working through the market, vacancy is high, and specials are deep. The catch is renewal timing. A winter signing sets your renewal for next winter, unless you choose a term that moves it. Here’s what the dated numbers say, and how we’d think about a winter lease. ## Supply: the wave is cresting San Antonio added 6,877 apartment units in 2025, and about 2,000 are expected in 2027 (CoStar). That’s a big drop. Many buildings that opened in 2025 and 2026 are still leasing up, which keeps specials deep right now. As fewer new buildings open, tightening is expected in late 2027 and 2028. ![Sunlit new apartment living room in winter light with a throw blanket on a slate blue sofa](/images/content/sunlit-new-apartment-living-room-in-winter-light-w.webp) Vacancy counting lease-ups was about 16% at the start of 2026, the highest of any major U.S. market, and 14.9% in Q3 2026 (CoStar via San Antonio Report). On our board, the median special was 8.7 weeks free on Oct 25, 2026, with 60% of listings offering 8 weeks or more. What that means for a winter move: buildings still have plenty of units to fill, and winter is traditionally slower for leasing. Both point toward San Antonio apartment specials [/specials/ →](/specials/) staying meaningful through this season. We can’t promise any specific special will last. The community sets pricing, and we confirm each special with the office before you sign. ## The renewal question nobody asks in November Renewal is usually priced from base rent, not from the special. If you sign a 12-month lease in December 2026, your renewal offer lands in late 2027, right as supply is expected to tighten. That’s a reason to plan ahead, not to panic. A 13- to 15-month term can shift your renewal season to spring or summer instead. That changes when you’ll be shopping next time, and sometimes it comes with more weeks free. It also spreads the special across more months, which changes net effective. We run both versions side by side. > **Check year two at 0% and +3%** > > At the board’s 8.7-week median, year two runs about 20% above year one’s true monthly. We show both a flat renewal and a 3% increase so you can see the range before you sign. ## A winter signing, priced out Here’s how the math works on a simple example. Two months free on a $1,200 apartment works out to $1,000 a month over 12 months. Add about $121 in required fees, close to the board’s $120.81 median on Oct 25, 2026, and you’re at $1,121. Year two starts at $1,321 if the base holds. | Term | What changes | | --- | --- | | 12 months | Renewal lands next winter; special spread over 12 months | | 13 to 14 months | Renewal moves toward early spring; net effective shifts | | 15 months | Renewal moves toward spring or summer; sometimes more weeks free | Our guide on 12-month versus 15-month leases [/guides/12-vs-15-month-lease/ →](/guides/12-vs-15-month-lease/) shows how to compare the 24-month total for each. ## If you commute from Seguin, note the toll date One cost changes this season. From Nov 11, 2026, a daily commute on SH 130 from Seguin runs $464.10 a month. SH 130 is the metro’s only toll road. If you’d drive it every day, add that to your true monthly and compare it against a closer building. Our guide on the SH 130 toll from Seguin [/guides/sh-130-toll-cost/ →](/guides/sh-130-toll-cost/) walks through it. ![Wall calendar beside a sunny apartment entry with keys on a hook](/images/content/wall-calendar-beside-a-sunny-new-apartment-entry-w.webp) ## Break your current lease, or wait? If your current lease runs into spring, a winter special might still be worth breaking for. It depends on your early-termination or reletting fee, how many months you have left, and how much smaller you expect specials to be later. Our Break-or-Wait calculator on the tools page [/tools/ →](/tools/) compares both paths over the same span. Your lease sets the early-exit cost, and we aren’t attorneys. For disputes, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid or a JBSA legal assistance office can help. ## What a winter tour looks like Winter is a good time to see how a new building handles real conditions. On a cool morning, check how quickly the heat brings a unit up to temperature, and whether windows and doors seal well. On a rainy day, look at drainage around the entry, parking, and walkways. Short daylight hours also show you how well hallways, stairs, and parking areas are lit in the evening. If you’re touring by live video walk from another city, ask for a walk in the late afternoon so you can see the light and the lighting. We’ll schedule it around your time zone. ## If you’re moving on orders this winter Moving on orders with a report date? We’ll line up video tours around it. BAH follows the duty station (MHA TX285), and the 2026 rates for an E-5 are $1,869 with dependents and $1,500 without. A winter special can leave more of your BAH each month in year one. Plan for year two, when renewal is priced from base rent. ## How we’d approach a winter move 1. **Start four to six weeks out.** That gives time to compare, tour, and pre-check approval. 2. **Compare 24-month totals.** Year one and year two together, for a 12-month term and a longer one. 3. **Get fee sheets in writing.** Required fees ranged from $52.38 to $320.50 a month at board buildings. 4. **Confirm what’s finished.** Winter lease-ups may still be finishing pools or amenity decks. 5. **Set your Renewal Check.** We’ll check in at month 10, before the renewal offer arrives. Read more about timing in our guide on when to sign a lease in San Antonio [/guides/when-to-sign-a-lease/ →](/guides/when-to-sign-a-lease/) . **Thinking about a winter move?** Get my shortlist [/contact/ →](/contact/) and we’ll price 12- and 15-month terms for every building on your list, or see what’s current on the specials page. Related: San Antonio Apartment Specials Specials confirmed within 7 days, each shown with base rent, true monthly, and year two. Open Specials [/specials/ →](/specials/) ![](/images/squares/sunlit-limestone-facade-of-a-new-san-antonio-apart.webp) Written by · Reviewed by · Updated October 25, 2026 New San Antonio Apartment Team [/about/#new-san-antonio-apartment-team →](/about/#new-san-antonio-apartment-team) Licensed apartment team, Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC The New San Antonio Apartment Team tracks ground-up new apartments across Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, and Kendall counties and prices every special in plain numbers. Brokered by Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC, TREC #562021. Brokered by Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC, TREC #562021 ## More market notes ![Row of brand-new San Antonio apartment buildings in bright morning sun with limestone and slate blue facades](/images/featured/row-of-brand-new-san-antonio-apartment-buildings-i.webp) Board Reports & Updates Oct 25, 2026 ### October 2026 New Build Board Report: Median Special at 8.7 Weeks Our Oct 25, 2026 board snapshot: median special 8.7 weeks, 60% of listings at 8+ weeks, fees from $52.38 to $320.50 a month, and what year two looks like. [October 2026 New Build Board Report: Median Special at 8.7 Weeks →](/blog/october-2026-new-build-board-report/) ![](/images/misc/row-of-brand-new-limestone-and-slate-blue-apartmen.webp) Next step ## Want the real monthly price for every building on your list? Send the 60-second form. We make the calls, confirm the unit, the special, and the fee sheet, and send your shortlist the same day. Get my shortlist [/contact/ →](/contact/) See the New Build Board [/new-construction-apartments/ →](/new-construction-apartments/) 512-000-000 [tel:+1512000000 →](tel:+1512000000) We don't guarantee pricing or approval. The community sets both, and we confirm them before you sign.