Best Websites and Apps for Finding Rental Housing in 2021

Best Websites and Apps for Finding Rental Housing in 2021

Finding a home to rent can be a stressful ordeal but you can help take off the heat by using technology that is designed to make the whole process easier. No more circling newspaper listings! Whether you are looking for an entire rental house or a studio apartment, today, there are tons of apps and rental websites that were created just to help you find a place to rent. Here are some of the best sites for rentals.

Rent A Home With These Sites

A quick internet search can pull up hundreds of websites that feature rental apartments but sometimes it is harder to find the right site for home rental websites. Make your life easier and check out our roundup of some of the best rental websites.

Zillow: If you are someone that has a particular vision of the home you want to rent, then you may want to consider trying Zillow. In the fifteen years since Zillow launched it has become one of the best sites for house rentals. With Zillow’s search engine you can narrow your results by choosing from a wide range of categories, such as square footage, the year that a home was built and even the number of bathrooms.

MLS: Also known as Multiple Listing Service, MLS has been a popular house rent website for people across the country. At more than 100 years old, the company has some of the best street cred in the rental world. 

Rent.com: As its title indicates, Rent.com is a website that is focused on places to rent. If you are particular about the details of your rental, then you may want to consider using Rent.com. It allows users to search by many different filters. For example, on Rent.com you could limit your search to houses that have hardwood flooring or walk-in closets.

Related Article: Apartments and Rentals

Padmapper: Padmapper is a well known map-based rental site that has apartments, single rooms, and houses for rent. To search for a house to rent, make sure you click “house” in the filter options. You may also want to click on “exclude Airbnb” if you only want to look at houses that are available to rent long term.

Find Your Perfect Apartment On One Of These Websites

If you are after a rental apartment, it will be easy for you to find tons of  apartment websites that have thousands of listings for rent. The problem is that there are so many apartment rental sites that it can sometimes feel overwhelming. We are here to help you with that. Below, we have rounded up some of the best apartment rental sites.

Zumper: Zumper is an apartment finder website and app that millions of people use to find places to rent. It is arguably one of the best apartment websites and is especially popular for people in major metropolitan centers such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Recently Zumper has introduced Instarent, an exciting feature that allows users to get in front of the rental competition by reserving apartments that they are interested in. Here’s how Instarent works:

  1. Take a virtual tour of Zumper’s Instarent listings to find an apartment you would like to rent.
  2. Pay a small fee in order to reserve your chosen apartment for 24 hours. This takes it off the market for a day so that you do not need to compete with other renters.
  3. Apply online with Zumper’s digital application. They will contact you to let you know whether you are approved to move in 24 hours or less.

Zumper’s completely virtual Instarent process means that you could potentially rent an apartment without having to take a tour or fill out an application in person. This makes the website a great option for people who are trying to stay isolated during the pandemic. With just Zumper and the internet, you could find your perfect apartment.

Related Article: Factors to Consider When Viewing a Rental Unit

HotPads: HotPads is a 16-year-old company geared towards people looking to rent in urban areas. If you are someone who keeps a maps application open at the same time that you are looking at apartment search websites, then Hotpads may be the search engine for you. The website has a commuter timer calculator that can help you figure out exactly how long it would take you to get from your new apartment to work or your favorite restaurant.

Lovely: If you do not like the bells and whistles of a lot of apps and websites these days, then you may want to consider using Lovely to find a place to rent. The Lovely website prides itself on its simple interface. It also allows users to contact landlords directly.

ABODO: If you are a young professional or are still in college then ABODO may be a good option to look for a place to rent. The website caters to university students and graduates in metropolitan areas.

The Best Rental Apps

These days, you can even search for rentals on the go, between apartment tours. Most of the websites we have mentioned in this article also have app versions of their search engines. If you would rather use your phone to browse rental listings, here are some of the best apartment rental apps to check out.

Apartments.com: Apartments.com was one of the first companies to showcase online apartment listings. Some people consider it to be one of the best apartment finder apps around. If you download the Apartments.com app, you will instantly have access to thousands of rental listings. You can even use the app to fill out rental applications.

SpareRoom: If you are trying to save money on housing then SpareRoom may be the perfect rental app for you. The app is designed specifically for connecting with renters who are looking for roommates. You can use the SpareRoom app to search for rooms and chat with potential roommates.

Trulia: Trulia is an easy-to-use app to find places to rent. It stands out from the rental app crowd with its ‘Trulia Neighborhoods’ feature, which allows users to virtually explore neighborhoods to learn more about school districts, safety, and even diversity. If you ever decide to buy a house, you can still use Trulia. It features homes both to rent and to buy.

Related Article: Finding a New Apartment or Rental

By Admin