# Moving Between November and February? What to Know About Houston New Builds This Winter (2026-27) | New Houston Apartment Team > Winter is a slower leasing season for new Houston buildings. How specials, lease terms and renewal timing line up if you move between November and February. URL: https://newapartmentshouston.com/blog/moving-this-winter-houston-new-builds-2026/ Last-Modified: 2026-10-25 Author: New Houston Apartment Team ![Moving boxes in a new apartment on an overcast winter afternoon in Houston, jacket on a chair](/images/featured/moving-boxes-in-a-new-apartment-on-an-overcast-win.webp) Your lease ends in December, or your new job starts in January, and you’re wondering if winter is a good time to move. For new Houston buildings, winter is usually a slower leasing season. That can work in your favor, as long as you see the whole bill and plan for the renewal that comes after. Here’s what to know if you’re moving between November 2026 and February 2027. Live specials change daily on our Houston apartment specials [/apartment-specials/ →](/apartment-specials/) page, so treat the numbers below as a dated snapshot. ## Where specials stand going into winter On Oct 25, 2026, the board median special was **8.0 weeks** across 128 market-rate communities, and 52% were at 8 weeks or more. The live median updates each morning, with base rent always shown beside it. We never post a fixed price for a property here; prices come from the feed. The bigger picture: 55% of Houston-area units had a concession in Q2 2026 (Transwestern). Deliveries fall from about 13,000 in 2026 to about 5,600 in 2027, the lowest in nearly 15 years (Northmarq). Many buildings opening this year are still in lease-up through the winter. ![Calendar with November to February pages pinned on a kitchen wall](/images/content/calendar-with-november-to-february-pages-pinned-on.webp) ## Why lease terms matter more in winter Buildings don’t love renewals that land in December or January, when fewer people move. So in winter, you’ll often see longer terms tied to the deepest specials, like 13, 14 or 15 months. A 15-month lease signed in December ends in March, which moves your next decision into spring. That can be good for you too. But a longer term spreads the same free weeks over more months. Here’s our Prose Riviana illustration in Katy, values as of Oct 25, 2026: | Term | Weeks free | Net effective | | --- | --- | --- | | 12 months | 10 | about $1,018 | | 15 months | 10 | about $1,066 | At $1,260 base, a 15-month term would need about 12.5 weeks free to match 10 weeks on 12 months. Our guide on 12 vs. 15 months [/guides/12-vs-15-month-lease/ →](/guides/12-vs-15-month-lease/) walks through the choice step by step, and the lease term calculator on our tools page runs it for any base. > **Pick the renewal month on purpose** > > If the monthly numbers are close, choose the term whose renewal lands in a month that suits you. A spring renewal usually comes with more nearby options to compare. ## Plan for year two before you sign The winter special ends with your first lease. Renewal is priced from base, so year two can jump. At the board’s median special, it was about 18% (board math, Oct 25, 2026). In the Prose Riviana illustration, the true monthly went from $1,095 on 12 months to $1,337.62 in year two at 0% change, a $242 jump. That’s not a reason to skip a winter special. It’s a reason to compare buildings on two years. Our guide on the year-two jump [/guides/year-two-renewal-jump/ →](/guides/year-two-renewal-jump/) shows the formula, and around month 10, our Renewal Check compares your offer with nearby new builds. ![Newly built apartment building with one phase finished and another under construction on a winter day](/images/content/newly-built-apartment-building-with-a-finished-pha.webp) ## Weather and phased buildings Houston winters are mild, but rain and the occasional freeze can slow outdoor work. At buildings still finishing phases, that can push amenity dates or the next phase. If you’re moving into a building that’s still being finished: - Get your move-in date confirmed in writing - Ask which amenities are open and when the rest will be - Read the move-in delay clause, especially if your current lease ends close to your move date - Keep a backup building in mind until you have keys ## Fees don’t change with the season Required fees stay the same in winter. At 11 board buildings, they ran $77.62 to $158.06 a month, median $98 (Oct 25, 2026). A winter special lowers rent, not fees, so add them before you compare. ## A winter move checklist 1. Write down your lease end and your latest workable move-in date. 2. Compare net effective on 12 months and on any longer term offered. 3. Add required fees, then electric, water and parking. 4. Check year two for each term. 5. Confirm move-in dates and amenity dates in writing. 6. Line up a backup building if your dates are tight. **Send us your lease-end date and we’ll line up terms and a backup building.** Get my shortlist [/contact/ →](/contact/) ![New Houston Apartment Team workspace](/images/misc/leasing-desk-in-a-newly-finished-houston-apartment.webp) New Houston Apartment Team Renter brokerage team, Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC New Houston Apartment Team tracks ground-up new apartment buildings across the Houston metro and shows the whole bill for each one. The team works under Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC, TREC #562021, and is free to renters. Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC, TREC license #562021 About the team [/about/#new-houston-apartment-team →](/about/#new-houston-apartment-team) We don't guarantee pricing or approval. The community sets both, and we confirm them before you sign. ## More news ![Laptop showing a spreadsheet next to a printed map and highlighter on a desk by a window](/images/featured/laptop-showing-a-spreadsheet-next-to-a-printed-map.webp) Board News Oct 25, 2026 ### October 2026 Board Update: 140 New Houston Communities, Checked for Fees, Water and Flood Zone On Oct 25, 2026 we checked 140 ground-up Houston builds for electric, water district, FEMA zone and ISD, and surveyed fees at 11. Here's what we found. [October 2026 Board Update: 140 New Houston Communities, Checked for Fees, Water and Flood Zone →](/blog/october-2026-new-build-board-update/) Next step ## Want this checked for your shortlist? Send your move date, lease end, size and all-in budget. We confirm units, specials, fee sheets and water billing the same day during hours. It's free to you. ## Get my shortlist Same-day confirmations during hours (Mon-Fri 8-8 · Sat 9-6 · Sun 12-5). Thanks, we got your request. We'll confirm units, specials and fee sheets and reply the same day during hours. ## Send us your move date. We make the calls. We confirm the unit, the special, the written fee sheet and who bills the water, the same day during hours. Get my shortlist [/contact/ →](/contact/) Text us [sms:+1512000000 →](sms:+1512000000) 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. Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC · TREC #562021 · Free to you, and your rent is the same either way