Zillow Rental Manager

[Account Closed]

So I saw a post from several months ago that only had a few responses, I was wondering if there were any new opinions out there about using Zillow rental manager to manage rental properties. I'm still in the "read as many books and listen to as many BP Podcasts" phase, but eager to get my first property - I was planning to outsource the management but if this tool or another like it makes it super simple I would consider self managing at least the first few. Any advice is welcome!

[Jacob Morgan]

I have been using Zillow Rental Manager for a couple years to advertise my properties. It works really well, and I get lots of responses from prospective renters. I plan to continue using that feature of their services. 

I just tried using their application and screening function for one applicant. I figured it would streamline my process of dealing with PDF/paper applications and then processing them through TransUnion's Smartmove service for the credit and background checks. My results were disappointing with this. First off, my renter didn't have a background check included in the screening report. That is a big deal to not include that, especially if the renter has paid the full $29 screening fee that theoretically includes both. Next, the application they provide is limited - you can't pick and choose questions, and the renter seems to get to decide what information to include on it (esp. social security number), and it doesn't have an easy download or print option. All you can do is save the output as a .htm file, and with most of the information buried in expandable menus, it's more suited for web view than for printing or saving. I sent Zillow support a message about the background check issue. They told me that since the renter had not provided their social security number (optional, since some people don't have them), it wasn't able to generate it. That seems odd though since they were able to generate the credit report. 

With those issues, I wouldn't consider using them for any other property management related activities. I don't think they have everything all worked out yet. Maybe in the future, but there's only so much you should automate of these tasks. You really need to be more involved than most people want to be.