16 Best Rental Websites for Apartment Hunters: Where to Rent When You Have No Clue

Are you looking to relocate to Los Angeles? You should definitely look at the following rental websites if that’s the case! It will make your life a lot simpler.
It’s always stressful to find a rental. There are so many factors that go into it: finding the right place, making sure you have enough money saved up for a deposit and first month’s rent, signing your life away on rental agreements with all sorts of clauses…and then there’s always the nagging feeling that you’re going to be stuck in an apartment forever because you couldn’t afford anything else.
But these days we’ve got plenty of resources at our fingertips so it’s never been easier (or more frustrating) to search for apartments online!
We have gathered the 16 best rental websites for apartment hunters to make your rental search a lot easier.
Best Rental Websites for Apartment Hunters
1 Apartments.com
Apartments.com is one of the best rental websites for apartment hunters, who are looking to find listings in cities all over the country. Users can search by price range, proximity to public transportation, and amenities like pools or gyms that might be important depending on where you live.
Apartments.com also includes reviews from previous tenants so potential renters know what they’re getting themselves into before signing a lease agreement with management personnel.
There is one thing users need to keep in mind when browsing through Apartments.com’s rental listings: some apartments may have an additional fee if renter’s insurance coverage is desired since it isn’t included in your monthly rent payment unless specified otherwise- which means that instead of paying $1100 per month for a rental unit without insurance, you might be paying $1300 or more with insurance coverage.
A rental’s price also includes rental terms, which are the number of months a renter has agreed to occupy an apartment for before he/she can terminate that lease and move on by giving notice to management personnel.
2 Rent.com
Rent.com is designed to help you save money on moving expenses before, during, and after your relocation. The site offers several tools including free local quotes from companies who will move your belongings wherever you are going.
In addition to providing a suite of information about potential areas, Rent.com also provides a virtual tour for many properties listed through the website so that you know what it would look like in person beforehand
The tool is easy enough to use with rental listings in more than a dozen cities across Canada and has been used by thousands of renters to find rental properties that suit their needs.
3 Rentberry
Rentberry is the ultimate rental community with one of the best features, which includes its “Bidding” feature that allows renters and apartment owners to bid on rental prices. It’s like an eBay for apartments! You can also filter listings by budget, location, property type, rental rules, and more.
The website is beautifully laid out with rental listings in over 100 cities across the country. If you’re looking for an international rental, they have rental listings in many major cities around the world, from Paris, Lisbon, Budapest, Barcelona to Tokyo.
4 Padmapper
Padmapper is the map for apartment hunters. The site aggregates rental listings from a wide variety of sources like Craigslist or newspapers to help you find apartments in your area with ease. You can search by location, price range, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms desired, and whether pets are allowed (if that’s important to you).
We love the map features that show you rental listings near your current location or the area where you’re searching. You can also set up alerts to be notified when new rental postings are available in certain areas, like a neighborhood around your work commute or homes for sale that meets your criteria.
Padmapper is available across North America and has rental listings from over 100 cities in Canada plus zip codes in the U.S., as well as London, Paris, Lisbon, Budapest, and Barcelona.
5 Rentable
Rentable provides an easy way to search for rentals based on basic requirements like rent, number of bedrooms, and a few specific factors that are non-negotiable. The visual display makes it easier to see the details about each listing. It’s easy to filter listings by relevancy, price, recency, or popularity. Students can also easily search for off-campus housing.
Rentable primarily list rentals in the United States, but they also have rental listings from over 100 cities in Canada plus zip codes in the United States.
Rentable is very easy to navigate and provides a great visual display for each listing which makes it easier to see all of the details about the rental quickly -The website features a list of nonnegotiables by price, so that you don’t spend time looking at rental postings outside your price range or with requirements you can’t meet – Students can easily search for off campus housing on Rentable
There is a filter feature available that lets users sort through posts based on relevance, popularity, or recency. The website also includes an option where apartment hunters can only view rentals within their budget
6 ApartmentGuide
ApartmentGuide.com is a rental website that provides renters with rental listings and information in the United States, Canada, and the UK to help them find their ideal rental apartment.
Renters can search for properties by location (city), price, or the size of the apartment they are looking for. The listing includes important information about the property like pictures inside of it and its amenities, in addition to contact information for management personnel who manages this particular rental unit.
Also included on each rental listing is how much it costs per month if you want to include renter’s insurance coverage in addition to paying rent; what kind of rental agreement you are signing; and any other fees that make this rental a more expensive option.
7 ForRent.com
ForRent.com is a rental apartment search engine that helps renters find apartments for rent in over 200 cities, including rental homes and pet-friendly rentals! In addition to providing photos of the rental properties and contact information for property managers, ForRent.com also has map views so you can see what’s around your new home or business location before making a move.
When you search for a rental on ForRent.com, posts are vetted by experts in the industry to ensure they meet your needs. Now all you have to do is find the rent of the perfect apartment that suits your needs!
The best part about renting from ForRent? They’ll do the work so you don’t have to–they even provide tenant screening reports on every property listing so you can be confident when making leasing decisions. Plus, rental payments are easy with their rental payment calculator and automatic rental fee deductions.
ForRent is a trusted rental platform that simplifies your search to save you time, money, and hassles. They understand the importance of finding the right rental for you–even if it’s not theirs!
8 RentCafe
RentCafe is a rental search website that does not include listings from third-party real estate brokers. Even after you’ve found your place, RentCafe can be used to manage your rental in the future. You can submit maintenance requests and renew leases on RentCafe even though it only includes listings from property managers.
RentCafe also has rental listings from across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, making it an excellent option for anyone planning to relocate or even just traveling through a new area.
RentCafe is free with no advertising campaigns cluttering your search results; you will only see rental listings that are available in your chosen location.
9 HotPads
Hotpads is an in-depth and dynamic search engine for rentals across the country. You can set basic preferences, like your price range and apartment size and type, and filter for amenities or location. The default view is a user-friendly map with listings on it, which include a list next to them; there are overlays that show the rental’s proximity to public transportation and bike lanes.
The best part about HotPads is that they offer rental discounts. They’ll help you find a rental with a discounted rate, which is perfect if your budget is tight and you can’t afford to live in the city center.
10 RentHop
RentHop offers a slew of tools that enable renters to find their ideal choice. It can take a few minutes to explore the site, but its easy-to-navigate layout will help you score the best possible place for you and your family.
RentHop offers rental listings for a range of budgets, sizes, and neighborhoods.
RentHop also offers rental discounts to its users – you can find rental deals in the city center or browse apartment rentals with no fees.
The site is user-friendly and easy to navigate; renters have said they like how Rent Hop’s website design is simple but not too basic. It even has an interactive map that helps people locate apartments near their nearest transit stop!
Also on RentHop: we offer plenty of helpful articles written by our experts who live in NYC and know where all the best rental properties are hiding out. You’ll learn about new construction projects opening soon and tips for renting your first time—and more importantly, finding your perfect home sooner than later
11 Sublet.com
Sublet.com is a site primarily dedicated to listing and seeking sublets, but it also offers rentals for longer leases than shorter ones. A free account allows you to contact landlords with no-cost listings, while the paid 90-day membership grants full access to all of the brokers on the list.
The best part about Sublet.com is that you can quickly filter rental listings by price, location, and even whether or not the landlord is accepting pets. And with rental listings in over 177 countries, you’re bound to find something near your desired location.
This site makes it easy for renters and landlords alike—and that’s certainly worth a look if you need an apartment rental on the go.
12 Rentals.com
Rentals.com offers rentals from all around the world (covering more than 32,000 cities), so chances are good they have what you’re looking for no matter where you live or how much money you make each month. There are even features like social media integration so that prospective tenants can connect with potential landlords before reaching out via email.
Rentals.com updates its rental listings regularly, which makes it easy for first-timers to find something near their desired location. And, parents can also search for rentals with specific rental requirements for their children, such as a pet-friendly rental, whether the rental is within a particular school district, or a rental with an onsite laundry facility.
We love the look and feel of the website and find it to be easy to navigate.
Each rental listing includes a photo, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, rental rates by month or year as well as amenities offered such as air conditioning and dishwasher. Renters can also filter their search based on rent ranges or property types including apartments, condos, townhomes, houses for sale, and even affordable housing communities. We love that!
13 Zumper
Zumper has a home for just about anyone – it’s one of the hip rental websites, with market reports and deep knowledge of local markets. It translates to descriptions of city landmarks, weather, and culture when you enter your search location; as well as neighborhood distinctions in several parts of town that may interest you.
We love how Zumper offers rental listings filtered by location, rental type, and pricing range to make it easier to find the perfect place in no time. It has a clean user-friendly design with easy navigation and lots of features that renters appreciate including beautiful photos, rental ratings from past tenants as well as interactive maps so you can get an idea of the surrounding areas based on your needs!
14 Zillow Rentals
Zillow is one of the most established brands in real estate research online, with data on more than 110 million homes. Typing in a neighborhood’s zip code, the Zestimate tool provides an estimated price for rent or purchase of properties within that area. The company also has new tools that let you apply to multiple apartments with one application and pay your rent through its platform.
If you’re looking for rentals near the UC Berkeley campus or Stanford University then this is the site for you! With over 500 new rental postings each day on this platform we were able to filter our search specifically within these schools’ neighborhoods which made sense since they are both located close to Silicon Valley where rental prices are sky-high.
15 Realtor.com
Realtor.com has been around for over 20 years and is one of the most trusted rental listing sites on the web. The site features rental listings from across America with rental prices for both rental properties or purchase transactions (both as a tenant and landlord).
Rental market trends are also easily accessible through this site: you can see which cities have better inventory than others, how much rents in California increased in 2018 versus 2017, etcetera. This information might help you decide where to live if you’re still undecided!
We like the updated rental listings that are updated every 15 minutes and the rental application process is super quick. The only downside to this site is they don’t offer as many sublets or furnished rentals, so it may not be your best option if you’re looking for short-term housing.
16 Roommates.com
Roommates.com is a great option if you want to share a rental with other people. They have a rental search tool that allows you to filter by specific criteria, like location or the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you want.
The website is intuitive and they have a rental application that is pretty easy to fill out. You can upload your rental application and then send it off electronically, which makes the process much faster than mailing paper documents or faxing them over.
We especially like the photo of possible roommate matches that they show you. You can browse through the photos and profiles of potential roommates to see if there is anyone who might potentially be a good match for your requirements.
This concludes our list of 16 best rental websites. We hope this list helps you find the best rental that’s suitable for you and your budget. As always, do your research before signing up with any website.
Finally, we would LOVE to hear from you about rental websites that have helped you or rental horror stories! Share your rental website thoughts in the comments below and help out other apartment hunters looking for a good platform. Or, email them to us, and we’ll update our listing.