9 Free Rental Listing Sites (and 1 to Avoid)
Listing your properties online is the first step to solidifying high-quality renters.
When it comes to rental advertisements, don’t rely on newspaper or bulletin board ads. In today’s marketplace, your rentals need traction on digital listing sites.
There are many benefits to . Digital listings allow renters the flexibility to find the housing they want and limit wasting time on dead-end showings. Many sites also offer listing syndication, meaning your listings will be posted across multiple sites at once for the greatest reach.
Additionally, it’s not uncommon for listing sites to offer general property management tools or partner with a property management software program.
Because there are so many sites with various syndications and management tools, it can be overwhelming to decide which to use. Here are nine free rental listing sites to investigate and one to avoid.
1. Zillow Rental Manager
Zillow Rental Manager is a combined listing service and property management tool. It boasts more than 30 million visitors each month, and includes screening, lease signing, and rental payment tools.
One of Zillow’s strengths is that it syndicates with Trulia and HotPads, two other listing sites. A listing you post on Zillow will be automatically uploaded to the other two, leading to greater exposure.
Posting listings on Zillow Rental Manager is free. If you wish, you may purchase a $29.99 premium package that includes performance metrics, customized tips, and higher exposure (your listings appear closer to the top of the page).
2. Facebook Marketplace
While Facebook Marketplace is not designed specifically for rental listings, its versatile platform makes it an excellent choice for them.
Facebook Marketplace is free, familiar, and easy for both buyers and sellers to navigate. Your listings will achieve a wide reach due to the enormous number of Facebook users. However, the site is monitored less closely for fraud and scams than dedicated rental listing sites.
3. Trulia
As mentioned, Trulia is connected to Zillow Rental Manager. Listings posted on Trulia are regulated closely for fraudulent content. The site also offers several mortgage and financing calculators for renters or buyers.
All listings on Trulia are sharable and free to post.
4. Apartments.com
Apartments.com is a popular choice for many landlords with all kinds of properties—not just apartments. The site sees 26 million visitors each month and syndicates with four additional sites.
Like Zillow, apartment for rent in Tempe offers various property management tools, including online payments, screening, expense reports, and maintenance tracking.
5. Realtor.com
Realtor.com is better known for buying and selling properties, but there’s no harm in listing your rentals. The site also partners with Avail, a property management software platform.
Realtor.com claims to attract over 100 million visitors each month and connects to 800 MLSs.
6. PadMapper
PadMapper is a lesser-known site, but it lists across the US and Canada.
It’s free to post one listing on PadMapper, but you can sign up with Zumper Pro to list multiple apartments, screen tenants, or view tenant TransUnion Credit Reports.
7. Zumper
Zumper is a trusted rental listing site with a variety of additional landlord tools. On the site, renters can filter search results according to what they’re looking for, and landlords can do the same with income and screening results. Listings are free to post and syndicated with PadMapper.
8. Rentberry
On Rentberry, listings are free and easy to post. Landlords simply enter the basic property information, price, and security deposit, and Rentberry will start connecting you with renters. Listings are also syndicated across Realtor.com, Zumper, Oodle.com, and other sites.
If desired, a premium membership is available to increase your listings’ visibility.
9. Doorsteps
Like many sites, Doorsteps is a listing site with syndication across several popular platforms and various property management tools. In addition to accumulating applicants, you can also customize local lease templates, sign them online, and get started collecting rent.
Avoid: Craigslist
Craigslist has hundreds of rental listings across the US. However, the platform has a reputation for fraudulent rental listings.
In theory, there’s nothing wrong with adding your listings here, especially if you already list your properties on more reputable sites and use a thorough tenant screening process. If you do, you should also add the details of applying and screening so that tenants know your listing is legit.
However, a smart tenant will avoid Craigslist and jump straight to the more credible sites listed above. If you value cautious decision-making in your tenants, stick to the sites you’re more likely to find them on.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a brand-new landlord or consider yourself a veteran, digital listing sites cannot be avoided. By carefully crafting your listings and using syndication to your advantage, you can ensure your rentals are exactly where your ideal tenants will find them.
