As property managers, we work in a world where renters are looking for dynamic content—rental reviews, social integration, 3D walkthroughs, and other interactive media—that gives them more than the number of bedrooms and baths.

Today, web traffic is as important as foot traffic in getting units filled. So, where should you focus your attention? Below, we’ve listed the 25 best rental listing sites and what each brings to the table for your business:

1. Your Website

Your website

As property managers, we work in a world where renters are looking for dynamic content—rental reviews, social integration, 3D walkthroughs, and other interactive media—that gives them more than the number of bedrooms and baths.

Today, web traffic is as important as foot traffic in getting units filled. So, where should you focus your attention? Below, we’ve listed the 25 best rental listing sites and what each brings to the table for your business:

1. Your Website

Your website should be advertising central for your rental property listings. This is where you can feature photos, videos, 3D tours, detailed information, and the ability to connect easily with your property management staff. Not only must your site feature properties in a beautiful and informative way, it should integrate SEO best practices to help it get a higher search engine ranking, as well.

According to Pew Research, 85% of Americans own a smartphone and 15% are smartphone only users (those who access the internet only through a smartphone).That’s why it’s so important to optimize for mobile. Help your prospective tenants see all of the features of your properties in a timely manner with a fast, mobile-friendly website and thorough, attractive listings.

Still need a website that's clean, easy to use, mobile-friendly and built to maximize lease inquiries? Click here to check out Propertyware’s property management website solutions.

[Additional Reading: How To Become a Property Manager]

2. Zumper

Zumper is a value-added site that offers up neighborhood information and city guides for your tenants. Its initial listings feature minimal information and a single photo, but its detailed listings offer you the opportunity to add an engaging paragraph about your property.

Zumper also gives you the opportunity to upload 3D tours and videos of your property. You can also use Zumper to screen prospective residents and collect rent.

3. Realtor.com

Realtor.com manages both rentals and real estate sales. It only accepts listings from property managers and owners. The interface is a little less straightforward and attractive than sites like Zillow, but it provides a simple search function for price and location.

4. Zillow

With its photo listings, interactive map, and ability to sort by features such as bedrooms, bathrooms, and rental price easily, Zillow is a popular rental property listing site. It also allows prospective tenants to compare two listings side by side.

5. Apartment List

Apartment List is a marketplace that brings renters and property owners together. Apartment List gets to know renters through a comprehensive set of questions to help them find a home they'll love. Property managers can list their apartments for free, are connected to high-quality leads, and only pay if a renter leases through the platform.

6. Avail

Avail is owned by Realtor.com, which also owns Trulia, Walk Score, Padmapper, Doorsteps, Zillow, Hotpads, Apartmentlist, and Apartments.com. When you list with Avail, your listing is syndicated across all of those sites at once.

7. Padmapper

Padmapper has a fun, interactive map that allows prospective renters to set a price, set a number of bedrooms, and look at cities across North America that suit their price range. Renters won't see your actual listing until after the initial search when they dig a little deeper.

8. Trulia

Trulia is an attractive and simple property listing site that allows renters to set parameters to see a group of photo listings with vital statistics about a property right underneath. Make sure you have a single great photo for adding your property to this site.

[Additional Reading: How to Start a Property Management Company]

9. Apartment Guide

Apartment Guide has a very simple, graphic format with an interactive map. The latest listings show up in red on the map, so that renters can see what's fresh on the market. It's also easy for tenants to see whether a property is pet-friendly, and there's a bulleted list of amenities that you'll need to fill out.

10. Rentals.com

Rentals.com makes it easy for tenants to search for exactly the type of home they want, with searches compiled into condos, lofts, duplexes, and more. There's less information required about amenities, and it has your contact information and the availability flagged to press people to call.

With all of the calls you'll be receiving about your property, did you know that Propertyware can ensure that you never miss another leasing call again?

11. Rentdigs

Rentdigs features free photo listings. Prospective tenants can not only find rentals, they can also find rent-to-own homes and moving company quotes. Rentdigs features a single photo and some simple information on the listing, so make sure your photo is a good one.

12. Rent.com

At first glance, Rent.com appears to be largely geared toward apartment rentals but it features a significant number of rental houses, as well. It's also one of the higher traffic sites on the list. So it's definitely worth checking out when you're looking for your next potential tenants.

14. Apartments.com

As the name suggests, Apartments.com (as well as Apartmentfinder.com, its subsidiary) are popular sites that provide a free popular tool for long-term rentals of apartments and condos. Apartments.com offers deals and can provide upfront savings for users if they end up renting through the site.

15. Move

Move is a one-stop shop that provides many services for experienced renters or buyers who know exactly where they want to live and what they want in a home or apartment. It also caters to seniors who may require assisted living, continuing care, and independent living. This company has a database of listings that is viewed by a customer base of 40 million people and provides many helpful tips and links for topics such as owning pets, renting versus buying, painting, decorating and moving.

Other Listing Options

1. Social Media

Don't underestimate the power of non-housing sites to advertise your rental property listings. If you have a listing on a site or on your website, you can advertise it to your community through social media. If you're having particular difficulty renting a property, create an infographic with property details.

While Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram may not be property-focused, they allow you to reach out to your communities and turn the search for tenants into a more sociable experience.

2. Airbnb

Airbnb connects a community of homeowners directly to customers seeking short-term rentals. Note that Airbnb is geared toward vacation and short-term rentals. If you’re looking for a year-long lease or more, this isn’t the place to list.

3. VRBO

Vacation Rentals By Owners is a top-ranked site that specializes in vacation rentals homes, apartments, condos, B&B cabins, beach houses, villas, etc. Like Airbnb, it is geared toward short-term rentals.

4. Nextdoor

Nextdoor.com has carved out a unique space on the internet as a private social networking site for local neighborhoods, with 80% of neighborhoods across the US relying on the information and services it provides its members. Think Facebook for your community. It’s a popular site for realtors to brand their services and for landlords to list rentals to a highly engaged and active local community.

5. Facebook Marketplace

With over 1 billion monthly global users, Facebook Marketplace is a great place to list your apartment. Marketplace shows users only local listings, so your listing won’t end up in front of a far-flung audience unlikely to rent from you.

6. Walk Score

As its name suggests Walk Score is another niche site whose mission is to promote walkable neighborhoods for those residing in apartments. This is a popular add-on feature to a property management website as it appeals to renters concerned with transportation costs, commute times, access to public transportation or a property’s location to activities, businesses, schools etc.

7. People With Pets

Last but not least, People With Pets. As the name suggests, our often overlooked four-legged family members now have their very own site. This site is essentially a national directory of pet-friendly homes, apartments, and hotels. For renters, this site is free to use, for property managers it charges $99 a year for advertising your pet-friendly property to the approximately 72% of renters that own pets.

8. Sublet.com

Don’t let the name fool you, Sublet.com is not just about sublets. You can list every type of rental here; short term, long term, vacation, furnished and unfurnished as well as private and room rentals. Landlords can post a standard listing for free, but a premium listing can receive up to 500 times more leads and includes tenant screening, employment and criminal background checking services for a sliding-scale fee based on the market you’re listing in.

9. Craigslist

The ubiquitous Craigslist is where people turn for almost everything, including housing that's focused on a specific metropolitan area. The benefits: it's inexpensive, and it allows you to write in your own way and with your own photos. The drawbacks: you'll get many inquiries from those who aren’t serious about your rental and many that are flat-out scams.

10. Oodle

Like Craigslist, Oodle is a classified listing service that includes rental housing. While it’s not solely focused on property listings, it's good for attracting renters who are local and may stumble on your listing as they browse for other items.

As you optimize your rental property marketing and start exploring the best rental listing sites for your business, keep in mind that there’s tools out there to help you make the best first impression on potential residents.  Beyond making it easy to syndicate your listings over multiple listing sites, Propertyware lets you instantly update property information, such as unit availability, pricing, floor plans and more—not to mention automatic lead tracking.

Whether you're just getting started listing your units, or expanding to new markets, we’re here to help make property management easier.

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