Zillow Rental Manager - Rent listing & management

Property owners, streamline the process to fill your vacancy with all the tools you need — from advertising to signing leases — conveniently located in one platform. Our user-friendly features allow you to showcase your property where more than 34 million visitors search each month. After finding a tenant, you can screen applicants and handle rent collection completely online.

Essential Features:

• Dark mode option!

• Create, modify, and publish your rental listings

• Determine your rental price

• Upload unlimited images

• Get instant notifications as soon as a potential renter inquires about your property and communicate with them through the app

• Oversee, submit, and accept rental applications

• Obtain verifiable details about your applicants upfront, including their income and credit score

• Develop your personalized digital move-in checklist to prevent the hassle of managing photos and documents in multiple locations

• Accept online rent payments

How does online tenant screening work?

All applicants fill out an online rental application with information about their current household makeup, prior residences, contact information and income. Zillow Applications include a credit report from Experian and a background check from CIC. You can review completed applications, including tenant screening reports, in your Rental Manager account.

How do I start accepting tenant applications?

You have the flexibility to either allow any interested renter to apply directly from your listing, or privately invite someone to apply. 

To accept applications from any interested renter, enable the Apply now button on your listing by going to the Applications tab for that property in Rental Manager. Once enabled, all renters can apply directly from your Zillow, Trulia and Hotpads listing by clicking the Apply now button. You’ll receive an email notification when a renter has applied to an enabled property.

You can also privately invite renters to apply using a shareable link without enabling the Apply now button. All completed applications including tenant screening reports will appear under the Applications tab for that property.

 How much does it cost to screen a tenant?

The application and tenant screening reports are free for landlords. Renters pay a $35 application fee, which includes tenant screening reports, and allows them to apply to your listing and an unlimited number of participating rentals for 30 days.

How long do tenant credit and background checks take?

Tenant credit and background checks are included as part of a prospective renter’s application — no additional waiting required.

In some cases, one or both screening reports cannot be completed. Learn about why that might occur for background checks here, and for credit reports here.

Can I screen prospective tenants if leads don’t come from Zillow?

Yes! You can screen any prospective tenant, even if they don’t come from Zillow. To do so, go to the Applications tab for that property in Rental Manager and click the Send application link. Then, you can invite them to apply via an email invitation to kick off the application and screening process.

Getting Your Tenants to Renew Their Lease

Let’s be honest: Filling a vacancy is a hassle. It takes time, it sometimes means losing out on rent, and it’s probably something you prefer to do as infrequently as possible. So if you have a good tenant, how do you get them to stay? While some factors are beyond your control, such as your renter relocating for a new job, there are several things you can do to keep your reliable tenant happy and eager to renew.

Why renters stay

Renters stay put for a number of reasons: They may prefer the flexibility of renting, they might not be able to afford to purchase a home in their desired neighborhood, or they’re waiting longer to get married or have kids (frequent catalysts for buying one’s first home).

The good news is most tenants plan to stick around for a while. Zillow's comprehensive rentals market study found that 54% of recent renters are not considering moving in the next year, including 32% who have no plans to move in the next three years. Many renters who stayed did so because their rental costs were a good deal (72%) or because they weren't able to afford moving elsewhere (66%). 

What about the other half?

While half of long-term renters are happy with their rental situation, half consider moving elsewhere. The same study reported that of renters planning to move within the next year, 52% will move to another rental. Don’t let that happen! If you’re lucky enough to have a good tenant, you want them to stay in your rental.

So what can you do, as a landlord, to boost renter satisfaction? Here are 5 ways to keep your reliable tenant happy.

Be available and responsive

Start by creating a clear, detailed lease agreement that outlines your expectations. Review it in person to answer questions and establish good rapport with your new tenant. Let tenants know the best ways to contact you, noting any times that you’re not available, and then respond quickly to tenant concerns as they come up.

Tip: Zillow Rental Manager offers state-specific, customizable online lease agreements for free. This feature is currently available in select locations.

Show that you care about the unit and its occupants by checking in periodically. Renters sometimes hesitate to bother their landlords with small problems, but those can turn into bigger issues if not managed early.

Welcome them home

Help your new tenant get connected with the neighborhood so they can put down roots and have an incentive to stay long term. Providing a small welcome package with useful information such as take-out menus, a list of nearby points of interest — groceries, parks, community centers, post offices, libraries — and a link to the town or neighborhood blog is a simple yet effective way to help your renter get established.

Solve problems

When issues do arise, strive to take care of your landlord responsibilities promptly. If something is broken at your rental property, it may seem like just one more thing on your to-do list, but for your tenant, a nonfunctioning appliance or jammed window can be an annoyance that escalates to a major frustration if not attended to. Demonstrate your reliability by solving the problem quickly, without complaint, and follow up to ensure that the solution was effective.

Keep your tenants in the loop

Provide as much notice as possible when you know of a change or problem that will impact your tenants. Respect the fact that, for the duration of their tenancy, your property is someone’s home. Even if you’re doing something minor, like having the trees trimmed, inform your tenants in advance. Changes that cause more significant impacts, like a sewer line repair, increase in utility charges or an upcoming increase in rent should be communicated early.

Be human

Your rental property is a business, and you should manage it accordingly. But just as a good manager treats staff members with respect and empathy, be considerate of your tenants. Being a landlord is no excuse for treating your renters as inferior.

If you have a great tenant who lost their job and needs extra time to get their rent together, consider whether the “all business” approach of tacking on late fees is in your best interest in the long run. While you should be cautious about making exceptions to your policies, in some cases giving your reliable renter a little leeway — and earning their gratitude (and lease renewal) — leads to the best outcome. Keep in mind that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there may be federal, state and/or local laws that temporarily limit or prohibit landlords from evicting a tenant for nonpayment of rent. Be sure to stay current on any landlord-tenant laws for your state, city or town, and speak with a local attorney if you have any questions.