What does “weeks free” mean?
A weeks-free special takes a set number of weeks of rent off your lease. It’s the most common special on our board. If you’re comparing Fort Worth apartment specials, you’ll see offers like “6 weeks free” or “8 weeks free on a 12-month lease.” To compare them, you turn each one into a monthly number called net effective rent.
On Oct 25, 2026, the median special across 65 market-rate communities on our board was 8 weeks free. Most clustered between 6 and 9 weeks. So the math below is the math you’ll use most.
How do you turn weeks free into a monthly number?
There are two steps, and the formulas are the same for every building.
Step 1. Free rent in dollars: base × 12 ÷ 52 × N weeks
Step 2. Net effective: (base × lease months − free rent) ÷ lease months
The 12 ÷ 52 part turns a monthly rent into a weekly rent, since a year has 12 months and 52 weeks.
A dated example
Here’s how Domain Benbrook’s special worked out on Oct 25, 2026. This is an illustration only. Live pages use the feed.
| Line | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Base rent | $1,320 a month | |
| Free rent, 6 weeks | $1,320 × 12 ÷ 52 × 6 | $1,827.69 |
| Year-one rent before the special | $1,320 × 12 | $15,840 |
| Net effective | ($15,840 − $1,827.69) ÷ 12 | $1,167.69 a month |
| Required fees | internet $70, trash $30, pest $6 | +$106 a month |
| True monthly | $1,167.69 + $106 | $1,273.69 a month |
So “6 weeks free” on a $1,320 base works out to about $1,168 a month before fees, and about $1,274 with them.
Weeks are not months
8 weeks free is about 1.85 months of rent, not 2. On a $1,320 base, that’s about $2,437 instead of $2,640.
What about other kinds of specials?
Not every special is written in weeks. Here’s how the common ones work:
- Months free. Same idea, with months instead of weeks. One month free on 12 is base × 11 ÷ 12 per month.
- Look-and-lease. A discount if you apply within a set window after touring. Confirm the window in writing.
- Prorated concession. The discount is spread across every month, so your monthly payment is lower all year.
- Up-front free months. The discount comes off the first month or two, so your move-in cash drops but later months are full price.
- “Up to” specials. The largest amount applies to select units only. Ask which unit the quote is for.
Net effective comes out the same whether the special is prorated or up front. Your cash flow is what changes.
Where does the special stop helping?
A special lowers year one only. Renewals price from base, so year two drops the discount. After 6 weeks free on 12 months, year two at the same base is about 13% higher before fees. With Domain Benbrook’s fees included, it was $1,426, about 12% above the year-one true monthly. Our guide on why year two costs more covers the jump.
Quick reference: weeks free on a $1,320 base
Here’s how common specials work out on the same base rent, so you can see the pattern. These use the formulas above and are illustrations only.
| Special on 12 months | Free rent | Net effective | Monthly savings vs. base |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks free | $1,218.46 | $1,218.46 | $101.54 |
| 6 weeks free | $1,827.69 | $1,167.69 | $152.31 |
| 8 weeks free | $2,436.92 | $1,116.92 | $203.08 |
| 10 weeks free | $3,046.15 | $1,066.15 | $253.85 |
Each extra two weeks free lowers net effective by about $51 a month on this base. That’s a useful gut check. If a building’s special seems much bigger than the gap in base rents, run both through the formula before deciding.
Remember that net effective is an average. If the special is applied as free months up front, your first month or two may be $0 and the rest full base. Your budget needs to handle the full base rent in those later months.
Can you run the math for any special?
Yes. The Special Decoder takes base rent, weeks free, lease length, and fees, and shows net effective, true monthly, and year two. The full formulas, including move-in cash and 24-month totals, are on how we do the math.
If you’d rather we do it, send us the buildings you’re weighing. We’ll send the same math for each one, usually within a few hours during our hours.
