When you start looking for a new apartment, chances are you have a finite amount of time before you need to move.
It can be tough to find the right place to call home next, and finding it before it gets snapped up by another renter can be even tougher. In a competitive market, available apartments come and go in a moment’s notice, and a rental open house can feel more like a face-off with other renters than a tour of the space.
Fortunately, there are quite a few apps for that.
The online apartment listing industry is a competitive one, which only benefits renters as more useful information becomes available with a tap of a finger. According to Yardley Ip, general manager of Trulia Rentals, apps cater to the immediate needs of renters, who tend to have little time to search for apartments because they aren’t available for lease farther in advance.
“They’re often really in a crunch, and looking to move within two months or less,” she says. To meet the need for speed, Ip says Trulia developed a rental app that makes it easier for users to personalize their search and reduces the amount of time wasted on a bad rental fit.
Given the short apartment hunt time periods, mobile apps come in handy, allowing users to browse listings whenever it’s convenient — from standing in line at the store to watching TV in the evening. “Mobile really turns [searching for an apartment] from kind of a desktop, 9-to-5 [task] into a 24/7 shopping experience,” says Jeremy Wacksman, chief marketing officer for Zillow. “Because when you’re in the market you don’t have a lot of time. In some markets, there’s not a ton of inventory and the best properties go quickly, so being able to respond immediately or decide if it’s for you … and you want to go see it, is a really powerful tool on your smartphone.”
As the demand for real-time apartment listing information grows, rental apps are racing to provide better services that make life easier for renters.
For example, RadPad allows tenants to pay their rent through the website and app, and RadPad will send a check to the landlord. Jonathan Eppers, co-founder and CEO of RadPad, explains the development, which led to more than $40 million worth of rent paid through their service in 2015, is a step toward making finding and living in an apartment as stress-free as possible.
“I pretty much do everything on my phone — whether I go to Starbucks and have my coffee or I order an Uber or today I can find an apartment and pay my rent,” Eppers says.
Another apartment listing app, Zumper, allows prospective renters to gather their credit report and personal details before touring apartments, making it easier to submit a rental application instantly through a secure system.
Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades says the app helps renters take the next step toward signing a lease, explaining that desktop computers don’t offer immediacy when it comes to a highly desired apartment.
“An app should be doing a lot of the paperwork because it is something you do on the go … An app has to be a transaction device as well, because you transact in the field in real estate,” Georgiades says.
Here are 10 of the most popular free renting apps for Android and iOS:
Zillow Rentals gives users access to more than 400,000 spaces for rent throughout the country. You have the ability to personalize a search to specific features such as pet policy, in-unit laundry or on-site parking, and save the searches that interest you the most. You can also search homes for sale in the Zillow network if you’re on the fence about renting versus buying.
Trulia Rentals helps streamline inquiries with its one-click feature, which puts interested renters in direct contact with the property manager, without having to fill out an inquiry form for every apartment they’re interested in or search for a phone number.
Apartments.com provides real-time availability, with a focus on including details of amenities apartment communities offer, and additional fees to expect, in its map-based app. With 3-D tours, you can see an apartment before even visiting the property.
realtor.com rentals, the rental app by realtor.com, allows users to browse by map or photo view and provides driving directions to check out apartments in person. The app also lets you set up alerts for apartments that meet your criteria as they come on the market. With one tap, you can contact the leasing agent and start your conversation.
Zumper offers access to an inventory of more than 1 million rental listings, with instant alerts as residences that meet your needs come online. Zumper also partners with Experian to provide you with your credit report to submit a rental application to a landlord securely through the app.
Apartment Finder caters to new renters and budget-conscious tenants. The app offers filters that help apartment hunters find the best deal based on their budget.
HotPads is best known for its apartment listings in major cities but displays inventory throughout the country. Features include neighborhood details, such as nearby schools and the walk score of the area, to help you get a feel for the area around the apartment you’re considering. You can also check out designated “hot” listings that are seeing a lot of interest from other app users.
Apartment Guide provides HD photos and floor plans for a deeper look at available spaces. Both the Android and iOS apps allow you to save listings and send interesting ones to a friend for a second opinion.
Rent.com allows you to find available visit times and book a tour for the apartments you’re interested in. You can narrow down your search based on residents’ reviews.
RadPad provides available apartment listings nationwide. RadPad users have the option to pay their rent through the app by debit or credit card for a fee, and RadPad will send a check to the landlord, regardless of whether or not the apartment partners with RadPad.
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