By selecting 15 international metropolises, including New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Zurich, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, we analyze the evolution of their policies in rental housing development, and characteristics of current models. This paper identifies eight key indicators of socio-economic and rental housing development, and adopts cluster analysis to classify them into several types. Moreover, we examine the characteristics of their housing development policies, and explore the implications for rental housing development in China from the perspectives of development strategy, organization development and regulations making.