Are you in search of a rental property but overwhelmed by the idea of scrolling through countless homes that may not be right for you? We understand! It can be difficult to know just where to look for the best place available.
Plus, with the amount of competition there is these days surrounding marketing rental properties, it can be hard to find the right space to call home! Luckily, there are many online rental listing sites and platforms that can make the entire process go smoothly.
So, what is a rental listing site? If you’ve never used one, they may seem difficult or complicated, but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Rental listing websites are platforms that allow you to search for properties in your area, often allowing you to add filters to make sure that you only see homes that are right for you.
You can use the filters to just see the available homes in specific areas or with a certain amount of bedrooms and bathrooms. Each site has its own unique setup, but typically each rental home that is listed will have a detailed profile, so you can get a feel for the property before you even attend a showing.
Ultimately, a rental listing website can help you scan rental properties from anywhere as long as you have access to a desktop or phone! These rental listing sites online allow you to see the interior and exterior features of the property with 3D video tours and gain an understanding of the amenities included.
This will help you save the time and energy that you would normally spend searching for a rental home and going to view it in person, only to discover that the unit just isn’t the right fit for you. By making use of these resources, it’s easier than ever to find the perfect home!
But with such a wide pool of resources, how do you choose which rental website to use when it comes to finding your next home? While it’s true that there are many rental websites out there, we know that some of them are better than others, and certain rental listing sites may be more effective for your specific rental property needs.
That’s why we have compiled a list of our top nine choices for the best rental property websites. These rental listing sites are user-friendly, effective, and can help you find your next rental home in no time!
1. Zillow
Founded in 2006, Zillow covers all of the United States and is one of the most popular platforms when it comes to searching for a rental, and for good reason!
Due to its wide variety of services and data, it offers the largest inventory of rental properties to choose from, making it all the more accessible to any prospective tenant. With over 135 million rental homes listed on the site, you’re sure to find a new home in no time!
Zillow Rental Manager has many useful tools to help both landlords and tenants move through the leasing process smoothly and efficiently. Features such as built-in tenant screening can make getting approved for a rental home even faster.
Once the property owner receives your qualifying application, they can use the Zillow Rental Manager app to run a credit score and background check. This will make it easier for you to prove that you are qualified for the rental home, allowing you to be approved faster.
You can also search the history of a property to make sure that the property owners are reputable and that the home will be a pleasant place to live. Additionally, Zillow has its own mobile app so you can communicate with the owners of the rental home directly, making the searching process more accessible from your mobile phone.
Zillow’s website also offers many features that can help you get a better idea of what a property looks like. Landlords are able to upload 3D tours of their rental as a part of their property advertisements.
Additionally, through the site, you’ll be able to see details like if the property allows pets. Landlords can even include details such as whether they include large dogs, small dogs, or cats.
If you’re looking for a specific view, you can filter your search to include things like mountains, parks or water views. This can help you determine instantly if a rental home is right for you, or if you need to keep looking.
With a $29 fee, you’ll be able to apply for an unlimited amount of rental homes for 30 days. With its user-friendly business model and an unlimited amount of rental homes to choose from, you can’t go wrong with Zillow!
2. Avail
Since its start in 2012, Avail has been a reliable platform that allows you as a tenant to easily prove your qualifications to any landlord. Avail has a thorough tenant screening process included with the platform, which will run background checks, do credit checs, and look into your eviction history.
If you’re looking to prove that you are a high-quality, responsible tenant, then Avail is the site for you!
3. Apartments.com
Apartments.com is an excellent and well-rounded site for rental listings as it includes many benefits for both landlords and tenants. As this rental website claims, Apartments.com really does succeed in making rentals simple. While there is a cost to using the app, its detailed search features will help you find a home in no time!
All you have to do is use their site to search the neighborhood that you would prefer to live in and then compare the available rental listings based on your individual needs! Apartments.com features detailed and in-depth filters for lifestyle, move-in date, ratings, square footage, and more.
This will make it easier for you to determine whether or not a rental home is right for you and whether you want to apply. When you use Apartments.com, you can consider it a one-stop shop for all things related to rental properties. You can look at amenities included the apartments and schedule a tour of the property.
4. Rentometer
If you’re looking for a thorough comparison regarding the rent costs in your neighborhood, Rentometer is the site for you. With its user-friendly design, Rentometer offers a seven-day free trial to first-time users.
Rentometer uses modern technology to provide you with rent comparison, so you will always be able to find the right rental home for you at the best cost possible. The site is used by renters, landlords, and realtors alike, providing reliable results for anyone involved with a rental property.
When you use Rentometer, you will have access to a wide range of specific and unique filters to help you find the best rental home for you.
You will be able to access a detailed report of the current metrics in your area, such as the average cost of rent, the median cost of rent, 25th and 75th percentile rents, a map view, sample size, and sample radius.
Filter your search by the date of listing, radius and distance, and by type of building you want to live in. Analyze these results further by providing the site with a property’s street address, your current location, a neighborhood you want to learn more about, or a city.
While there is a cost to use the site, the high-quality and detailed information that Rentometer provides you with makes the price more than worth it, as it exceeds many other rental listings websites on this list.
5. Craigslist
Craigslist can be an excellent and accessible option if you want a free website to find your next rental home. However, when using Craigslist, you should proceed with caution, regardless of whether you are a landlord or a tenant.
Craigslist is an open market where you can find anything from job listings to services. This means that the postings are free and the site does not vet the ads that are being posted.
Make sure that you always meet a prospective property owner in public spaces, take a trusted friend with you when going to a property showing, and ask as many questions as you can. If you decide to rent a home that you found on Craigslist, ensure that your lease is written and that you obtain a copy.
6. PadMapper
PadMapper is a map-based rental listing website that is extremely user-friendly for anyone looking to find a rental home. There are countless listings for apartments and homes on the site, so when you use it you will need to apply a variety of filters to ensure that you are seeing the listings that are right for you.
It’s worth noting that this site will show you Airbnbs by default, so be sure to apply the “exclude Airbnbs” filter while you conduct your search. If you want to find a room to rent in a house or a roommate to share an apartment with, this is an excellent resource!
There are countless tenants on the site whose listings specify that they have a room available or are looking for a roommate. This site is especially helpful if you are looking for a home to rent in a larger city.
7. Zumper
If you want a wide variety of rental homes that are available in your area, then look no further than Zumper. Through Zumper, you can find listings for any type of rental home, including long-term rentals, month-to-month leases, vacation rentals, houses, rooms, condos, and apartments available to rent.
Zumper ultimately aims to make finding a rental home as simple and easy as it is to book a hotel room. To achieve this, they offer users a variety of services such as in-person touring of a property and lease signing procedures.
At the end of the day, Zumper is designed to be intuitive to use, providing a seamless process for you to find and rent the best rental home on the market.
8. HotPads
If you live in a big city and are overwhelmed at the prospect of finding a rental unit that you love in a competitive market, then HotPads is here to help you out! HotPads is an excellent tool to help you sift through the large amounts of listings in a big city. This can save you endless amounts of time driving to each rental home for in-person showings.
HotPads tends to have a larger focus on apartments than single-family homes, but you will be able to find a good number of houses on the site if that’s what you’re looking for.
One of its most unique and attractive features is the ability to provide the platform with the location of your workplace. This will allow you to see the length of your daily commute to and from a prospective rental home. The commute time provided by the platform will be calculated by car, walking, biking and the local public transit.
Ultimately, this tool is excellent if you are particularly worried about finding an apartment close to your workplace, and there aren’t many rental property websites that are quite as useful for finding a rental home close to your work as this one.
If you value a short, simple and easy daily commute in a big and overwhelming city, then Hotpads is the website for you!
9. Rent.com
The biggest and most attractive feature that Rent.com offers its users is its detailed and specific set of filters in the search engine of the website. When you’re using Rent.com to find a rental home, you won’t have to waste time on thousands and thousands of rental homes that just aren’t what you’re looking for.
All you have to do is select the features that are important to you in a home and look through the listings that are shown to you by the platform. These filters are robust and include every preference you could think of.
From hardwood floors and a pet-friendly building to walk-in closets and in-suite laundry, if you have a specific preference regarding your next rental home, then you can set up a filter for it!
While Rent.com doesn’t have the endless amount of listings on the site that many other platforms have, this rental listing site is perfect for tenants who know exactly what they are looking for when it comes to their dream place.
Having these detailed and useful resources gathered for you can cut down on time and energy that you would normally spend searching through hundreds of listings that just aren’t the right fit for you. When you use Rent.com, you will always get the rental property you want!
Bottom Line
When it comes to finding a rental home, the process can seem daunting and stressful, not to mention time-consuming! Looking through an endless stream of rental home listings can be tiring for anyone. But that’s exactly why property listing sites exist!
Using the best rental listing sites mentioned above, you will hopefully be able to significantly cut down on the amount of time spent searching for a rental unit, allowing you time to focus on what you love. Finding a rental home doesn’t have to be such a hassle with these resources at your fingertips. All you have to do is know how to use them.
