6 Best Free & Paid Sites for Rentals by Owner for Private Landlords (2024 Reviews)

Real Estate Bees’ editorial team asked a number of industry-leading real estate investors to share their expertise on the best for rent by owner websites to help our readers make a more educated purchase decision when researching available solutions.

With the help of the experts, we identified the best paid and free listing sites to advertise rental homes and evaluated them based on critical factors that are important for private landlords. Visiting retailers of the listed products by clicking links within our content may earn us commissions from your purchases, but we never receive any compensation for the inclusion of products and/or services in our consumer guides. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about our review and rating process.

— Kimberly Anderson, Senior Creative Editor at Real Estate Bees

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Avail is cloud-based property management software for landlords built to help you manage all aspects of the rental process.

As the best free rental property listing site, Avail enables landlords to advertise their rental property listings across a dozen sites, screen tenants with customizable questions, request in-depth background checks, create and sign state-specific leases, and collect rent.

A notable feature of Avail is its rent price analysis feature, enabling users to compare their property prices with neighboring rentals, while also providing rent estimates for their properties.

Avail integrates with third-party rental websites like Zillow and Trulia, providing automatic real estate listing syndication service and accessible online applications for prospective tenants.

Avail boasts over 400,000 landlord users and was acquired by Move, Inc., the operator of Realtor.com® in 2020.

Features

FastPay

This feature helps landlords receive rent payments from tenants as soon as the next business day.

Unlike traditional ACH transfers that can take up to three business days, FastPay enables quick money transfers.

Rent Price Analysis

Avail’s Rent Price Analysis feature gives landlords and real estate investors a comprehensive report on rental market trends and current rent prices in their area.

Landlords can compare their property to nearby rentals and receive a rent estimate within minutes.

Property Accounting

The real estate accounting software, recently integrated into the platform, enables landlords to track rental property income and expenses.

The platform syncs payments, maintenance costs, and other transactions, providing real-time insights into rental property revenues and expenses.

The property management accounting software allows you to add one-time transactions and edit existing ones to keep records up to date.

The feature helps landlords prepare for tax season by categorizing transactions according to IRS guidelines and exporting data into a spreadsheet for sharing with a tax professional.

Rental Listings

Avail’s Rental Listings feature enables landlords to create and publish comprehensive listings to attract potential tenants.

Landlords can write detailed descriptions, upload high-quality photos, and list desired amenities.

The platform automatically syndicates listings to top rental sites nationwide, generating more leads.

Landlords can streamline communication and coordinate in-person and virtual showings through Avail.

Plans and Pricing

Avail offers two plans for landlords: the Unlimited plan and the Unlimited Plus plan.

The Unlimited plan costs $0 per unit for Unlimited Units, and includes syndicated listings, background screening, state-specific leases, and online rent collection.

You’ll also enjoy maintenance tracking via the tenant portal and access accounting software for landlords.

The Unlimited Plus plan costs $7 per month and includes all the features of the Unlimited plan, along with premium features like FastPay rent payments, waived ACH fees, customizable applications, customizable leases, and clone/reuse lease agreements.

Avail also charges for:

• ACH fees — $2.50 per transaction (waived for Unlimited Plus users)
• Credit and debit card fees — 3.5% per transaction
• Tenant screening and background checks — $55 per report
• Rent analysis report – $19.99

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Legal documents and lease agreements. Avail provides access to a library of legal documents, including lease agreements, move-in/move-out checklists, and eviction notices. Landlords can easily customize and generate these documents as needed.

• FastPay for quick payments. The FastPay feature on Avail is particularly beneficial for landlords who want to receive rent payments promptly. It allows landlords to receive rent payments as soon as the next business day, eliminating the typical waiting period of 3 to 5 days for ACH payments.

• Integrations with other platforms. Avail integrates with various third-party platforms, such as accounting software for real estate investors and online listing services, providing a more seamless rental management experience.

Cons

• Difficulty customizing the platform for some real-life use cases. Avail has been criticized for its lack of customization and adaptability to certain real-life scenarios. For example, those with no credit rating may encounter unexplained errors, effectively barring foreign individuals from applying. This not only complicates the application process for immigrants but could also infringe on Fair Housing laws in many regions.

• No mobile app. While they plan to create Android and iOS apps in the future, Avail can only be used on the web.

• Poor reporting module. The platform’s reporting capabilities do not meet current trends or effectively cater to the needs of real estate accountants and landlords. The format of the generated reports necessitates users to invest significant time and effort to transform it into a usable spreadsheet.

Integrations

• Realtor.com
• HouseLogic
• Zumper
• HelloSign
• Matterport
• TransUnion
• Redfin
• Rentberry
• ApartmentGuide
• Movoto

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Launched by Zillow in 2016, Zillow Rental Manager is a comprehensive real estate platform that simplifies rental property management.

One of its standout features is the Rent Estimate. This uses a complex calculation of data points and local market trends to provide users with an estimated rental price for their property.

Zillow Rental Manager also features a tenant screening tool, enabling property managers to conduct background checks and view comprehensive renter histories.

The platform seamlessly integrates with third-party applications to provide additional, valuable data related to mortgage rates, customer reviews, and more.

Tenants can pay rent directly to landlords’ accounts and set up automated recurring payments.

Features

Rental Listing Management

Zillow Rental Manager has made its mark among the best sites for rentals by owner by providing a user-friendly interface for creating and managing rental listings.

With just a few clicks, landlords can add property details, upload photos, set pricing, and customize descriptions.

The software also automatically syndicates listings to major rental websites like Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads, ensuring maximum exposure to potential tenants.

Tenant Screening

Zillow offers tenant screening in collaboration with Experian for owners to assess potential tenants by conducting online background checks, credit checks, eviction history checks, and income verifications.

Applicants pay a small screening fee and landlords receive notification when an application is ready for review.

Online Leases

The online leasing feature lets landlords create, sign, and send lease agreements via the internet.

They can either upload an existing lease agreement or customize a new one by using the provided professional templates.

This feature is currently available in select locations and offers e-signature capability for agreement signing.

Rent Collection

Zillow Rental Manager provides landlord rent collection software with an online portal for tenants to make one-time or automatic recurring rent payments.

Payments are deposited directly into the landlord’s account with no fee for landlords or tenants paying through ACH. Payments can also be made via credit or debit card for a small fee.

Plans and Pricing

Zillow Rental Manager features are free to use for landlords. But there’s a premium plan available.

It costs $29.99 per 90 days per listing and offers more exposure on the site, and customized insights on pricing, listing performance, and lead data.

Tenants pay a $35 fee for background and credit reports, plus a 2.95% credit card fee or $9.95 debit card fee for online rent payments.

ACH payments are free. Note that a credit check and background check report can be used to apply to an unlimited number of participating rentals for up to 30 days.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free listings. Zillow Rental Manager is the best site for rentals by owner as it provides a cost-effective, all-round rental management solution by allowing landlords to list their properties for free.

• Comprehensive management. The platform simplifies the entire rental process, from application and tenant screening to lease contracts and rental payments.

• Large audience reach. Zillow is one of the most popular real estate websites in the US, with over 100 million unique visitors per month. This means that landlords and property managers who list their rental properties on Zillow Rental Manager can reach a large audience of potential renters.

• Easy listing process. Zillow Rental Manager makes it easy to list rental properties, with a simple and intuitive interface that allows landlords and property managers to quickly upload their properties and manage their listings.

Cons

• Customer service concerns. There have been complaints about Zillow Rental Manager’s customer service, particularly regarding responsiveness and resolution of issues.

• Delayed updates on partner sites. Zillow Rental Manager partners with other major listing sites to syndicate property listings. However, updates to these listings, such as changes in availability, do not reflect immediately across all sites. This can result in confusion if a property is listed as available when it has already been rented or sold.

• Too many features. Despite being among the best sites for rentals by owner, the platform has become more complex over time with the continuous addition of new features, potentially making it more challenging to navigate for some users.

Integrations

• Buildium
• TenantCloud
• HotPads
• Birdeye
• Hemlane
• LionDesk
• ShowingTime Appointment Center
• Lofty CRM
• Follow Up Boss
• GatherUp

HotPads, founded in 2005, is an online real estate and rental marketplace that predominantly serves urban areas and cities across the United States.

The platform provides a broad range of property listings, including apartments, houses, and other real estate properties.

It’s one of the top platforms where private landlords advertise their properties, with unique features like advanced filters catering to specific housing needs like senior or student housing.

Furthermore, HotPads offers a handy mobile app,  a commute time calculator, and an online rent payment feature facilitating long distance property management.

In 2012, Zillow acquired HotPads for $16 million.

Features

Listing Management

HotPads allows landlords and property managers to easily create and manage rental listings on the platform.

Users can add photos, descriptions, and details about the property, such as location, size, and amenities.

The platform also provides property management tools to help users set competitive prices and optimize their listings for search engines.

Map-Based Search

One of the best websites for private landlords to advertise homes for rent by owner, HotPads has a map-based search feature that offers potential renters an intuitive means to explore rental properties by location.

Renters can search by GPS position or address, and the map displays nearby amenities such as dog parks and bike shares.

This feature helps users identify the most expensive and affordable listings in a specific area, enabling them to make well-informed decisions.

Online Rent Payment

Renters can conveniently pay their rent through the HotPads platform by using a debit or credit card or through ACH.

Renters can share rent with roommates and set up recurring payments that automatically deduct from their bank accounts each month.

This feature ensures a secure and timely payment process, benefiting both renters and landlords.

Plans and Pricing

HotPads offers the same features and plans as Zillow. While it is free for landlords, tenants are charged for some features.

Credit and background check reports cost $35 per report. But tenants can use this to apply to any HotPads listing for up to 30 days.

Online rent payments via a credit card incur a 2.95% charge and a debit card payment incurs $9.95 in fees.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Variety of search options. HotPads ranks as one of the best free rental listing sites for landlords with its varied range of search options, making it easy for renters to find their desired properties quickly. This allows for a tailored search process, catering to each user’s unique preferences.

• User-friendly interface. The straightforward and intuitive navigation system enhances the user experience, even for those who are not particularly tech-savvy.

• Syndication to other Zillow sites. One significant benefit of HotPads is its integration with Zillow Rental Manager. When you list a property, the listing gets populated on the best rental listing syndication sites — not only on HotPads but also on other major platforms like Trulia and Zillow.

Cons

• Difficulty reaching sellers/agents. Renters complain about not getting responses from sellers or listing agents on this platform. This erodes trust in the platform as people just list and do not check back or update their listing on the site.

• Scammers on the platform. Many users have expressed concerns about scammers and bogus rental listings on HotPads.

• Pass-through site. HotPads redirects users to Zillow Rental Manager for listing and rental management. So, users who want to access the HotPads platform must create a Zillow Rental Manager profile.

Integrations

• DoorLoop
• Zillow
• Trulia
• Out East
• StreetEasy
• Buildium
• Follow Up Boss
• Rentroom

Acquired by CoStar in 2014, Apartments.com is one of the best for rent by owner websites.

The Apartments.com Rental Manager is a comprehensive online property management platform for independent landlords and renters.

This platform streamlines various aspects of property management, like payments, property listings, applications, tenant screening, and lease creation.

One of its defining features is the ‘List Your Property’ function, which allows landlords to amplify their property visibility by listing across 12 partner network sites.

To further enhance visibility and attract renters, the platform runs a national marketing campaign that reaches 95% of US renter households through diverse mediums like TV, video-on-demand, streaming, audio, and display ads.

Another distinctive feature is the expense tracking function, which simplifies expense categorization and tracking in accordance with IRS Schedule E (Form 1040).

Furthermore, Apartments.com Rental Manager offers an electronic lease feature, providing users with 50 state-specific lease templates and the flexibility to create their own fully customizable, state-compliant, and legally binding lease agreements.

Features

Listings

Leveraging its network of sites like apartmentfinder.com and forrent.com, the List Your Property feature enables landlords to reach potential renters through extensive platform exposure.

This feature supports various property types and allows landlords to highlight unique features, nearby amenities, schools, and transportation options.

Expenses

The Organize Expenses feature simplifies expense tracking, helping landlords manage finances and prepare for tax season.

Expenses can be tracked by property, assigned to tax categories, and supported by related images or receipts. Reports can be exported as a CSV or PDF file.

The Organize Expenses feature in Apartments.com Rental Manager makes it easy for landlords to track their rental property expenses based on the IRS Schedule E Form (1040).

Maintenance Requests

The Track Maintenance feature helps landlords manage property upkeep and monitor tenant maintenance requests.

Landlords can receive these requests via email and view them on the dashboard. From there, they can forward requests to professionals, attach receipts, and add repair expense notes.

It also facilitates communication between landlords and tenants about open requests.

Additionally, it includes a private issue feature, which enables landlords to log their own issues, select the relevant property, and add visuals.

Payments

The Collect Payment feature facilitates timely rent collection through online payments.

It supports automated rent payments, email notifications for upcoming or late payments, automatic late fee applications, and easy document access for tax filing.

Renters can pay via credit card, bank transfer, or Google Pay, choose their payment due date, and split the rent with roommates if needed.

Plans and Pricing

Registering on this platform is free for landlords and tenants. However, landlords can upgrade their listing to a Premium plan for up to 30 days. The Premium plan offers:

• 4X more search impressions and views
• 20% higher quality renter leads
• Visibility on 5 other sites apart from Apartments.com
• Ability to add up to 6 videos (totaling 1GB) to the listing.

Pricing for Premium varies depending on your state and market.

For rent payments, tenants are charged based on the mode of payment. ACH payments are free; credit and debit cards, or Google Pay rent payments require a 2.75% fee.

Tenant screening costs $29 per application and tenants can share their reports with participating landlords for up to 30 days.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Customer portal. The platform’s customer portal allows residents and tenants to directly log maintenance requests and communicate with owners. This feature promotes efficient and prompt resolution of requests, facilitating better landlord-tenant relationships.

• Wider exposure. Apartments.com Rental Manager syndicates rental listings to its network of 10 partner websites, including ForRent, Homes.com, and ApartmentFinder, giving landlords greater visibility and increased chances of finding potential renters for their properties.

• Affordable tenant screening. Tenant screening and background checks on Apartments.com cost less than $30.

Cons

• Absence of immediate support. Apartments.com Rental Manager doesn’t provide live chat support. This contrasts with other platforms that offer real-time assistance. Users must leave a message and wait for a response.

• Credibility of ratings and reviews. There are concerns about the authenticity of ratings and reviews on the platform. Allegedly, “blended scores” are used to inflate ratings for underperforming apartments, which can lead to misinformation and potentially affect the decision-making process of prospective renters. Some users also complain about real reviews being deleted.

• Outdated listings. A common criticism among users is that the platform sometimes displays outdated listings.

Integrations

• Yardi
• AppFolio
• ResMan
• Spherexx Ad Automation
• Entrata
• RealPage ILM
• Knock CRM
• Rent Manager
• Buildium
• Tenant Turner
• RentEGI

Founded in 2010, Rentler is a comprehensive web-based solution designed to simplify the rental process for rental owners, property managers, and real estate agents.

A key feature of the platform is its Rentability reports, a customized report that includes comparable properties, local trends, and recommended rental prices for properties.

With operations in over 3,000 US cities, Rentler is one of the best places to post a rental property, attracting over 1.3 million users and processing thousands of applications every month.

Features

Rentability Reports

Rentability reports help landlords evaluate their rental property based on similar properties.

Leveraging Rentler’s internal and national data, landlords can get up-to-date market analysis and a customized report with comparable properties, local trends, and a recommended rental price for their properties.

Maintenance

The maintenance request feature ensures timely communication between tenants and landlords, notifying tenants instantly when new information is added or a request is completed.

This feature streamlines maintenance request management for landlords and tenants.

Forms

Rentler provides access to a catalog of professionally designed, real estate lawyer-approved rental forms relevant to each user’s state.

These forms, which range from move-in checklists to eviction notices, help landlords stay compliant with legal requirements and provide essential documentation for property management.

Applications

With this feature, landlords receive time-stamped applications from potential tenants, ensuring compliance with Fair Housing laws.

It includes tenant screening services for landlords conducting credit and background checks during the application process.

This automation streamlines rental applications and places Rentler amongst the best websites to find houses and apartments for rent by owner.

Plans and Pricing

Rentler is free to use for landlords and tenants. However, there are costs associated with some features. The Rentability Report costs $19.95 per report, access to legal forms costs $25.

Landlords who want more visibility for their listings can choose any of the two Premium listing options: Featured Days at $15/day and Ribbons at $25/day.

For tenants, the cost of online rent payments is $1.95 for ACH transactions and 3.5% + $0.30 for debit and credit cards.

Application subscription costs $45 for 30 days of use. It includes credit and background checks.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Ease of use. Rentler is easy to use and intuitive for anyone. Users can easily set up their properties within minutes.

• 24/7 customer support. Rentler provides 24/7 customer support with live chat capabilities, ensuring users receive timely assistance with their inquiries and concerns.

• Full-service platform. Rentler offers full-service property management features, including rental listings, applications, background checks, lease agreements, and rent payments.

Cons

• Additional fees. Rentler charges extra fees for services such as listing advertising, access to legal forms, and rentability reports.

• App crashes or glitches. Some users have reported instances of the Rentler app crashing or experiencing glitches.

Integrations

• RentRange
• TenantCloud
• RentMoola
• SmartyStreets

Founded in 2011, Apartment List is among the best websites to find private landlords, with a considerable presence in 142 cities and 32 states in the US and a global footprint in 2 countries.

One of Apartment List’s standout features is its AI leasing assistant which streamlines the rental process by nurturing qualified renters, automating the crucial lead-to-lease process, and enhancing conversion rates.

Features

AI Leasing Assistant

The AI Leasing Assistant is a cutting-edge feature for automating and enhancing the leasing process for property managers and leasing agents.

It nurtures qualified renters, automates the lead-to-lease process, and boosts conversions, saving time and money.

Furthermore, it provides 24/7 support to renters and property management teams via email, text messages, voice conversations, and chatbots.

Cross-Selling

The cross-selling feature introduces tenants to vacant properties across a landlord’s portfolio, broadening their pool of options to choose from.

This not only helps tenants find a suitable property that fits their needs but also helps landlords secure more tenants by showcasing multiple vacancies within their portfolio.

3D Virtual Tours

Apartment List recently added support for 360-degree tours made with virtual walkthrough software and pre-recorded video tours on their property pages, giving prospective tenants an in-depth virtual look into listed properties and enhancing the overall rental experience.

Landlords can submit Virtual Tour links from supported services, such as Matterport, Helix360, LCP360, Panoskin, and VPiX, to Apartment List’s customer care reps.

Client Portal

The Client Portal is a self-service platform that allows private landlords to easily manage their listings on Apartment List.

Through the portal, landlords can update and edit listing features important to potential renters, such as pricing, availability, amenities, and fees.

The portal is designed to be user-friendly, with clear and intuitive pages that highlight the various options available to landlords to make their listings stand out.

Plans and Pricing

The platform offers pay-per-lease pricing through its performance-based model.

Pricing varies based on market type, portfolio size, and integration score. The base pricing for leases in emerging metros is $399.

In growth metros, base pricing is $429. In mature markets, users pay a base price of $449.

There is also a portfolio size discount on the platform. 0-10 units have a $0 discount, 11-25 units have a $10 discount, 26-50 units have a $20 discount, 51-100 units have a $30 discount, and 101-150 units have a $40 discount.

Active communities with over 100 units pay a monthly platform fee of $39.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Personalized matching. By utilizing AI technology, ApartmentList.com tailors search results according to user needs and preferences. This personalized matching ensures that users are paired with suitable properties, streamlining the search process and improving user satisfaction.

• Customer success manager. Each user gets a dedicated customer success manager (CSM). The CSM acts as a strategic advisor, providing guidance and support to help landlords maximize their use of Apartment List’s features and tools.

• Market insights. One of the features that make Apartment List one of the best for rent by owner websites is the valuable market insights it provides to private landlords. The platform performs a thorough analysis of renter behaviors and market dynamics, enabling landlords to stay updated with trends and allowing them to optimize their rental strategies effectively.

Cons

• Created for multifamily landlords. Apartment List was created for multifamily landlords and large property management companies. The platform isn’t suited to small landlords.

• Spam emails. A notable drawback of using Apartment List, particularly as a private landlord or renter, could be the receipt of ‘spam emails’. Users have reported receiving numerous unsolicited emails offering to view tours or make some other commitment.

Integrations

• Rent Manager
• Hulu Ads
• LCP Media
• Buildium
• Funnel Leasing
• Diffe.rent

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About the Author:

With over 20+ years of experience in real estate investment and renovation, Brian Robbins brings extensive knowledge and innovative solutions to the HouseCashin team. Over the years Brian has been involved in over 300 transactions of income producing properties across the US. Along with his passion for real estate, Brian brings with him a deep understanding of real estate risks and financing.