ApartmentRatings.com Reviews
ApartmentRatings.com is a website that allows users to post reviews of apartments they have lived in or worked with. This website was founded over 15 years ago in Austin, Texas. The website claims to be a completely unbiased source of information about various apartments around the United States, and doesn’t allow advertisements from anyone who acts as a landlord. Users that leave or respond to reviews may do so for free. Landlords or property owners must pay for a premium account in order to respond as a Verified Manager to any review.
Currently the company is based out of California, and is owned by the Internet Brands, Inc. corporation. According to their website, they are in the Top 5 most-visited websites for apartment hunters in the United States.
REVIEW
There’s no question that relocating can be stressful enough without finding out a month into your new move that your apartment comes with some disappointing features. ApartmentRatings is a website that allows users to search through reviews of apartments from people who have lived there. You can search by the city, and then narrow it down to specific units, to see the reviews. Each listing shows the average price of a unit, followed by the average unit size. Reviewers can upload pictures to give potential renters even more information about the real views they can expect to find.
One major downside to the website is that is not secured. For most users this isn’t a problem; however, landlords or property owners who must enter payment information in order to be represented as a Verified Owner may not feel comfortable with the lack of security. You do have to create a membership in order to utilize all of the free features, but you can browse through the basic information without it.
RATINGS
BRAND REPUTATION COMPARISON
USER ENGAGEMENT COMPARISON
POPULARITY TREND COMPARISON
- Thorough list of features that are included in a review
- It’s easy to search through reviews by city and then by specific buildings or units
- A free membership gives you access to all features, but simply browsing without an account allows you to see plenty of information
- User-uploaded pictures allow you to see the areas of an apartment complex or unit that property owners may downplay
- No verification process for reviewers; anyone could upload a review at any time with a free account
- The website is not a secure site, which may be problematic for property owners who have to pay for a Verified account
- You can only search by city and building; there is no way to filter for certain features or amenities
CONCLUSION
While it’s true that any reviewer could be lying, that is something that most Internet users have become savvy at recognizing. If users keep in mind that these are no more than the garden variety Internet reviewers, the same as they’d find on sites like Amazon, ApartmentRatings could be a very useful tool. If you’ve already narrowed your choices down to a few buildings within a specific city, you lose nothing by checking it out on this site, and the information you gain could be the difference between a wonderful next home, or a year-long nightmare in the making.
Have you had an experience with this company? Please share your ApartmentRatings.com reviews below.
