# Why the amenity arms race is failing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

**Published by:** [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com/)
**Published on:** 2026-06-19
**Categories:** apartments, condos, housing, housing-survey, development, real-estate, leasing, marketing
**URL:** https://brandondonnelly.com/why-the-amenity-arms-race-is-failing-maslows-hierarchy-of-needs

## Content

I came across these survey results in a guest column by Wendy Waters in Connect CRE Canada called, "What Will Attract Young Professionals to a New Rental-Apartment Building?" If I ignore the typo in "strong cel [sic] signal" and just look at the results, many of them are intuitively obvious. The vast majority of renters believe that in-suite laundry is essential, and it's the number-one want in this survey. Pet-friendly is also not surprising given that pets are going to outnumber kids in most new purpose-built rental apartment buildings. And, of course, people want connectivity. I interpret high-speed wireless and strong cell signal throughout the building to specifically mean the common areas. Presumably, 100% of people want internet and cell signal within their apartments. At the same time, there are some other interesting results. For example, 55% of respondents (in this segment) said that a private balcony is essential and 97% said it was either essential or a nice-to-have. There's a common debate in developer boardrooms about whether private outdoor spaces are essential to sell or lease an apartment and there are certainly rental developers who abstain from them altogether. But tenants seem to like them a lot, at least according to this survey. And a "nice-to-have" is still something that helps with leasing. People also seem to want a king-size bed. Whether they'd be willing to pay for the additional space is a separate matter. There is always an affordability and willingness to pay dimension to surveys. I mean, who wouldn't like more? But a larger primary bedroom appears on this list and, right now, there's a growing sense in the market that buyers and tenants want livable spaces over things like podcasting rooms and ski simulators. From a Maslow's hierarchy of needs perspective, this seems to make sense. People want their physiological needs — such as a comfy bed — solved first, and then they'll worry about finding self-actualization in their new podcast. Cover photo by Lotus Design N Print on Unsplash Chart via Connect Canada CRE

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