Where to post rental listing that doesn't dispaly rent history?

Question

I was going to post a rental on Zillow group (Zillow, Trulia, Hotpads) but it seems like they display a public record of previous rental listings (including date and pricing) for every property, which I really don't like. Do you guys have any other recommendations for where to post listings that won't keep a public record? I've tried Craigslist, but so far that hasn't been too successful.

Debbie C. · Answer

I haven't looked extensively (and correct me if I'm wrong), but it seems like Zillow Group is the only one that will forever display rental history pricing on a property along with exact dates that every listing is posted and removed. I'm just not a fan of this because it can create the wrong impression for people, and is also unnecessarily invasive. Is Zillow Group so dominate that I would be at a great disadvantage if I did not use it to seek out tenants?

Wesley W. · Answer

@Debbie Cost

Wow, I never knew they posted that before.  Thanks for the heads up.  I have several problems with the Zillow platform, but I just put up with it because it does generate leads.  In my market it's about 50/50 between Zillow and CL.  Both sources consistently yield qualified applicants, so I continue to use both for every listing.

To your original concern, I'm not sure why a prospective renter would care about the history as most people know that market rents continue to rise.  It might look weird if you did a gut rehab and then reposted, but that would be something that I would explain to an applicant should they ask.  In that case, your marketing should include verbiage to that affect, anyways:  "completely renovated and updated", etc.  I would not draw attention to the rent price history by trying to explain it in your ad narrative, however. ("The landlady doth protest too much, methinks.")

Another thought "outside the box" - if it really bothers you, just make another ad with a different unit description at that same address.

Theresa Harris · Answer

Where are you located?  Where I am, kijiji is one of the most commonly used ways of advertizing rentals.  I would also find it odd that it a site keeps track of the rental history.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

Yes, it could have a negative effect in your marketing but only if you are trying to hide something or there is a problem with the rental. If there's a good explanation for why the rental history looks negative, explain that in the description. Most people are intelligent enough to consider two sides of a story.

Aaron K. · Answer

@Debbie Cost they are pretty dominant, it is one of the first places people go to look for rentals and they own a lot of the other websites as well, also you'll miss out on some higher quality tenants.

For example let's say you are a tenant and you have an 800 credit score and plenty of income you are going to use the user friendly interface on Zillow or the other big websites instead of sifting through individual listings on Craigslist.  You don't have to go to Craigslist because you don't need to find a DIY landlord that doesn't check credit, eviction history, criminal history etc.

Aaron K. · Answer

@Debbie Cost by not posting on sites that show the history you'll do more damage to reducing your tenant pool than any potential damage the history would do in negotiations.  Is there a reason you don't like the history?