Best Free Online Ways To Advertise Property For Rent

We look at costs from the perspective of a property owner or manager who runs a small portfolio of properties, under 25 units for example.  Our assumption is that this landlord will be looking for a low-cost way to advertise and fill vacancies, and that extensive financial, reporting, and communication tools are a lower priority. We give bonus points to the products that provide free online ways to advertise property for rent but do, however, believe that for most landlords it is worthwhile to pay a small fee to get valuable features.

Avail – score 9.5:

Advertising as many units as you’d like is completely free on Avail. We only have two small quibbles; tenants are charged a $2.50 fee per transaction, and a full screening report bundle including credit, criminal, and evictions is a bit more expensive than other services, at $50. Landlords can choose to have applicants pay that fee, of course, or pay it themselves.

Avail also offers a $5 per unit per month subscription, which eliminates the tenant-paid transaction fee, shortens bank transfer times to 1-3 days instead of 3-5, and gives landlords the ability to edit and customize the 50-state localized lease documents.

Buildium – score 8/10:  

As we’ve pointed out in past articles, Buildium is designed for landlords and property managers with larger portfolios.  The entry-level subscription is $50/month, which will make sense for those who want a full service property management platform – including features such as financial reporting and maintenance tracking.  

Landlords with even 25-50 units, or small-scale property managers, will probably want a less costly service, however Buildium is a comprehensive platform and we believe it’s worth looking at if you’re wanting to refine your business processes.

TenantCloud – score 9/10:  

Landlords can list up to 75 units for free with a Basic membership.   Even this subscription level provides access to their slick custom website builder, creating visually appealing and user-friendly listings. One issue we have with TenantCloud’s free plan is that it only supports credit and debit card rent payments, which come with significant fees. The Starter plan, at $12/mo, also includes unlimited units and unlocks free ACH (bank transfer) rent payments.

RentecDirect – score 8/10:  

Rentec Basic costs $15/mo, however that includes one free premium screening package each month. A landlord who averages one applicant per month will save money on screening with this subscription, and with a far-reaching syndication network this option makes sense for some.  We do believe RentecDirect offers good rental marketing tools, however we prefer services that don’t require a paid subscription.

RentRedi – score 9/10:

Paid annually a RentRedi subscription costs $9/mo and includes an unlimited number of units and tenants. You can also include as many team members as you’d like, so looping-in assistants, spouses, contractors, or other parties is all free. Our only complaint is that vacancies do not reach as many eyeballs as on some other sites.

Hemlane – score 7/10:

Hemlane’s base pricing is $28, plus $2 for each unit. This subscription level gets your listings syndicated to over 30 sites. To add the Zillow network sites, rent.com, rentals.com, apartmentguide.com, and lovely.com you’ll need to purchase a Premium Listing for $89/month.

Hemlane has a wide marketing reach and is a great tool for landlords to present their properties professionally – all in one place. We think the upper subscriptions make a lot of sense for some landlords, as they offer unique features such as maintenance coordination and vacancy showings.

Landlord Studio – score 8/10:

A starting level subscription to Landlord Studio costs $5.99. This presents a great value if you’re particularly interested in property management software that streamlines your financial record keeping and accounting, as this is the product’s biggest strength. Overall we feel the value of the service is very good, however as advertising alone goes there are better options.

Also Read: The Best Free Property Management Software for Small Landlords in 2020

Again, we love efficiency! The products that score best in this category are those where potential tenants order and pay for screening reports as a part of the application process.

Avail – score 9.5/10:

There are three levels of screening available through the Avail platform. All reports are paid for by applicants, unless the landlord chooses to pay themselves. The first is free and includes basic identity, residence, and employment history. The second costs $30 and includes everything in the free report as well as SSN verification and detailed credit reporting. The bundled report is $55 and includes everything above as well as local and federal criminal records, sex offender status, terrorist watchlist records, and evictions history. Our only gripe is that Avail’s reports are a bit more expensive than those from other services.

Buildium – score 9/10:  

Advertising, applications, and screening reports are all seamlessly tied together with Buildium.  There are two screening packages to choose from.   The Basic level report can be paid-for by the applicant, and delivers a full TransUnion Credit Report.  The Premium package can be ordered without the applicant’s direct involvement (with proper pre-approval) and landlords can set criteria a prospective tenant needs to meet in order to get the green light.

TenantCloud – score 10/10:  

From your marketing site potential tenants complete your customized application, upload any documents you’ve requested, and pay for the screening reports you require.  You can also choose to pay for reports yourself.

Partnering with TransUnion, TenantCloud offers three screening packages. The Background Check ($25)verifies an applicant’s identity, gives employment history, and reports on any criminal background. The Credit Check ($30) provides information on financial history, debt levels, and Social Security number verification. The Full Check ($35) includes results from the previous two reports as well as an eviction search.

RentecDirect – score 7/10:  

RentecDirect takes applicants from your marketing website to a custom application, however ordering screening reports is a separate step that must be completed by the property owner or manager.  From our perspective as owner-managers we prefer platforms that require prospective tenants to purchase reports directly.  We also don’t like having to take the additional step of ordering the reports.  The upside of RentecDirect screening offerings is that they are affordable and flexible, as there are several screening packages to choose from.

RentRedi – score 10/10:

Applicants order and pay for screening reports, straight from their mobile device or desktop, and it’s quickly visible to the landlord wherever they are. Landlords send customizable responses at a tap, and can request additional information. Full credit, criminal, and eviction reports cost the applicant $35, which is very competitive pricing.

Hemlane – score 9.5/10: 

Hemlane also partners with TransUnion, offering one comprehensive package that includes full background, criminal, eviction, and credit history reporting. Applicants pay the $30 fee, which is a good value.

Landlord Studio – score 9/10:

Like most of the other platforms we’ve looked at, Landlord Studio integrates TransUnion screening reports. You can pay for the reports or ask applicants to pay. Background and credit reports cost $38.