Twin Cities apartment deals heat up

• Only Salt Lake City, Utah; San Jose, California; Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, North Carolina, offered more concessions, according to Zillow.

State of play: A glut of new apartment openings is driving a surge in concessions nationally as property managers use incentives to attract new tenants instead of reducing rents, Zillow said.

Flashback: Rents have been rising slower in the Twin Cities than the U.S. average, in part due to a housing boom in Minneapolis.

The intrigue: Since Minneapolis has so many new apartments, it also has some of the sweetest concessions.

• The Larking in the Elliot Park neighborhood of downtown is offering up to three free months of rent with a new lease.
• Downtown's Soo Line Apartments is promoting up to two months of free rent and discounted parking.
• The Daymark in Uptown is offering up to two free months.

Be smart: Fall is often the best time to find a deal on an apartment because landlords like to fill units before winter.