HotPads - Apartment Rentals Reviews

by AllSaints36

I was using HotPads for almost a month to find a new apartment. At some point, HotPads stopped showing photos. I switched to the online version and same. Maybe 1 out of 25 will have a single pic but the majority say the listing has no photos. I was also using StreetEasy and all of the same apartments that were cross posted had photos so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because the realtors were not uploading. Furthermore, apartments I had favorites based on the photos were also not showing photos so I know they were included at some point. Uninstalling, updating, and reinstalling did not work and the FAQ site on this app that had guidance on trouble shooting basically had this dismissive good luck with your glitch message. Maybe it will be fixed eventually but it’s been about 10 days and not even an acknowledgement that the site isn’t working.

by Miiloohatrzluvme

I paid the money because i liked an apartment listed on here, supposedly they allow you to fill out the application and its supposed to be easier and its one fee instead of many- the landlord never got it, so i cancelled that one and sent another one- she got that one but then still wanted to charge me 40 for a application fee- i told her i did that through this app and could she use that background and credit check, she said send them to her- well you cant just do that they gotta go through the site to do that and long story short that has been the same for all of them- it was a total waste of money during this scary time that COVID19 is happening- and i cant believe how many companies are taking advantage of people right now. Be careful, unless you have money to throw away.

by SoyAnnoyed

Unfortunately I have to go this far to share my disappointment for HotPads. I’ve had quite a few complications, most importantly a future landlord not being able to open my credit score or background check after paying for the application services. After several attempts of hastily trying to reach them for help I was left to try and figure it out on my own which only led to confusing links back n forth to my emails, then HotPads , back to my emails, then back to HotPads in what appears to b the same link back n forth and so forth. Very upsetting as you can imagine. I still haven’t heard back from them and had to reapply and pay another application fee via Zillow - which I had no problems w.

by 32057825jdpanqgicldd

ALL landlords listed are racist in the area and refused to rent to a “biracial” family. There’s many instances where we’ve asked how much can we put down to make sure we can follow through and hold the house, the landlords do not reply or they purposely ignored my request. Many of the homes have listed are extremely expensive for the property shown. They can’t do anything about that issue but they do allow ANYONE to list in this site. Whether they’re in the attitude to rent to someone or new to the industry all together with rude people. Not worth it, you’re better off driving around searching yourself or getting information from real estate agents.

by Nane 12345

Though they do have some really good low priced apartments a lot of those low priced ones are scams two I found posted a rentals that were low priced an seemed legit until after a series of emails on what looked an seems ok because they sent me a virtual tour video of the apartment come to find out after I expressed interest they sent me an application I paid $100 application fee then shortly after they emailed me an said we are planning on deal where if you make a down upfront payment before you receive the lease the apartment is yours smh. Be very careful though I lost $100 I’m glad that I caught on to it before it was too late

by Del2017

While I enjoy the mapping feature and the commuter calculator listed right on the listing I find several other things frustrating. First stop listing rooms for rent as a Studio. You end up having to open everything just to double check. Also, pictures should be required for any listing. If I sell on the Let It Go app I have to post a picture, the same standards should be held when posting a place to live. And finally, if I use your messaging feature it rarely gets anywhere. I have to call and frankly I don’t have the time to call every listing.

by Jeffreytstarr

Clearing all filters at once doesn’t seem to clear every filter nor initiate a new search to provide unabridged results. Commute filter provides erratic result after initiating a search using a named town and subsequently (and inadvertently) selecting a 30 minute commute criteria with the default “use current location” and that that town lies beyond the corresponding travel time limit. Some properties inside the commute limit but outside the named town but only a small percentage of otherwise unfiltered eligible results. This leads to the uncertainty of which filters are active and which are not after “clear all”. Listers selecting inaccurate attributes when compared to their resultant property listing, make troubleshooting for unintended filters difficult, if not impossible.

by NikkiCWalsh

I had good luck with HotPads in Michigan. Right now I'm in Tucson, Arizona. It's not a good app here. In Tucson, many people have turned over their rental homes to P.M.'s
(Aka-property managers). The property managers never (OK, 1 out of 30) get back to you. I found it's a waste of time here. But it's fantastic in other areas. Just depends on where you are doing your search. Definitely made me have very little respect for property managers here in Tucson. It pains me to think of all the people that have a house for rent and listed it with a property manager. As their house is just sit vacant. I've seen the same places on the websites over and over. Property managers are NOT 'movers and shakers' by any means- where I'm searching for a home. Going back to CraigsList.. as well as driving around looking for 'For Sale By Owner' signs.

by Vicious Vivi

HotPads makes finding a place to rent frustrating. With each new update, it only gets worse. It is impossible to know what properties have been updated unless you click on every area that you have saved searches. Instead of saving you time, you end up wasting a bunch of time as you have no idea what is new and what isn’t. You also can’t save your preferences for each list so that the newest show up at the top of the feed. So when you have 7 areas you have to change your preferences for all 7 every time you open HotPads . Wish they could make their interface more like Redfin.

by ArenaChick

No matter what format are use for this website, what was most frustrating is that the majority of the site is taken up by a map of the area while only a fraction of the site is devoted to information regarding available apartments. Obtaining that information is rather cumbersome as there is a lot of clicking and scrolling down. And then if you want to actually print information regarding the availability of apartments you’re interested in, that’s an entirely new nightmare as you have to create new ways of capturing the screen so that you capture as much information as possible. It seems to be a cake a good site for scouting properties, but just not a useful site for actually finding one in closing a deal.

by KRLVP

I haven’t used this newer version just yet but this is has been my go to app for finding a place. I hope to move soon, Lord willing. However, out of the apartments I did view in person in the past, several of them were shady or straight up scams. The realtor will give you one address for you to meet them, then they won’t show up. Rather, you’ll call them to see where they are, and they’ll suggest you meet them at another apartment location that’s less desirable than the one you thought you were going to see. It’s a bait and switch. I experienced that twice on thisIs there anyway for HotPads to filter through or alert folks to potential scam/shady activity?

by Milly This

I normally do not write reviews but I must say this app is a GOD SENT app ! Not only does it help you find your dream apartment but it also has a great network between landlords and potential tenants. Before I discovered this app, i had a job relocation to Seattle and I was stuck between a rock and a hard place trying to look for an apartment. I also had went to housing court due to my former apartment complex failing to fix many maintenance issues & having a judgement on your record can be stressful but nonetheless, TRUST me when I tell you, THERE IS HOPE. HotPads GIVES YOU HOPE. It’s very detailed, landlords let you know what they are looking for and as long as you find something you can work with, they’ll work with you. Long behold, I found a condo in Seattle that was SUPER CONVENIENT to everything including stores and public transportation. I wish I could’ve stayed longer but my job relocated my to California so I’m on the search for my next apartment on HotPads. I recommend HotPads to all my friends & they can’t stop thanking me for telling them. To the creators of this app, thank you very much for giving people like me a second chance to live comfortably and find a place I can call home. ❤️😊

by LMCooley

Love HotPads and have used it to look for spaces for awhile now. I especially like that you can message with sellers in app. My issue comes with the pet filter. It needs to be more precise. Just saying “allows dogs” is too vague as I keep find “pet friendly” places only to see they only allow small dogs. A more specific “small dog” “large dog” filter would be beneficial to cutting down on frustration of clicking a place and then seeing it actually doesn’t meet criteria.

by Michelebradley

Love HotPads it’s clear concise format. The only thing I would improve on is if is it is possible to have more than one “favorites” list that would be helpful. Sometimes the website features don’t seem exactly the same as the mobile app features. If you could add the ability to reduce the map size while expanding the gallery that would be helpful too! 😄😄

by RowdygeniusWK

HotPads is the most user friendly to use; and I’ve used them all. Put in your filters, look through the listings, which is really fun because the mobile template is done very well, and fill out a short form, and you’re done. An agent calls you to set up a viewing. Tip: make sure you click the heart to make a listing one of your favorites. It’s easier to go back to.

by Luluthewarrior

Through my apartment searching process, I’ve been unable to find apps that are as efficient and user friendly as this one. Love that once you’ve tapped on a listing on the map that the “house” icon will change color so you don’t waste time accidentally tapping on listings you’ve already seen! Also love that the listings you favorite within in HotPads change color, too. Hoping to find an awesome place using PadMaps!

by N64king

This one got me my new place! It’s actually helpful, and after using 2 other sites and finding mostly scams this one came through and produced a lot of possibilities. This was the only app that lead me to places to actually see in person. Everything is easy to read and lists most if not all amenities you may search for. Lots of listings for the relatively lower end as well which is good.

by HonestEve

This is a great app to finding your new home. Whether you're looking to buy or rent, it's very helpful in checking out the surrounding area and beyond! I found the condo I'm renting through here about a year and a half ago and now using it to find a home to buy. Great search features like price range and what you're looking for to customize the search tailored to you. I recommend it to fam and friends :)

by Anie P

I would like to highly recommend this app for anyone who is looking for a lovey home. I was introduced to realtor Alex who showed me property in Passaic County area and he been a blessing from heaven. Never let me feel discouraged and help me to find a place to call home. Best Realtor i ever met and will always continue working with him. In this world and time period we need more people like this amazing gentleman. Thank you so much

by Abaracadabara

Finding an apartment can be a daunting task. After spending months on useless housing and rental websites, I stubbled upon the Hot Pads app. Within two weeks, I was able to narrow my search and find an apartment that checked off all of my boxes. (and there were a lot of them) I love their “saved searches” and “follow-up” reminders to help keep on top of the rentals I was interested in. Highly recommend!

by Intrepidsoul

I’ve been using this for awhile, and STILL have yet to hear back from a property owner or broker. One listing had been taken, I only found that out because I called the broker myself.

Also, when using the saved searches feature, it is quite inaccurate. When I put in a saved search for Fairfield, it began giving me alerts, “we found a listing in Fairfield”, yet it lists the towns quite out of range, like Irvington, East Orange, Orange...not what I specified.

The only reason I didn’t give it one star is because I am able to reach out to the broker/owners myself. Ugh.

by Frustrated Passenger

I found most of the rental agency listings had inaccurate pics. Pictures were not of the actual unit listed and/or only pics of amenities and building. Would often find same pics for different units in same building. Equally frustrating is many do not list unit number so no clue what floor the unit is on. Wasted time waiting for agent to reply through HotPads only to find out they had to research for the info and the apartment was not was we were long for.
Also rental agencies would try to seek their services when inquiring about one unit.

by Bushy Bastard

Users of this site should be aware that some of the information in the description and amenities sections, as well as the price, are frequently wrong. I won't list all the the inaccuracies I have personally been made aware of, but 2 recent ones were particularly irritating. Both listed the price as gross when they were actually net effective. Fine for a one year lease, but alters the math on a 2 year or longer. The most irritating thing was that both listed parking as included in the rent. This was stated explicitly in both listings. Yet, one broker said that was information that was no longer accurate and updated on the feeder site weeks ago. The other broker says that was never accurate and that parking wasn't ever available. She added that, if it ever became available, it would be a rental space from another deeded spot and the apartment that this app claimed included parking did not have a deeded spot. Where did this app get that info?

I love the map function of this app, but you must confirm all of the information about the apartment you're looking at with the broker before you waste your time looking at an apartment that will cost hundreds of additional dollars a month on parking.

by Idk What Name To Put But Yeah

It’s a pretty good app, but the reason why I knocked off two stars is because HotPads frequently brings me all the way back to the top of the list. Like very very frequently. It’s so irritating because I would be scrolling through the properties, then all of a sudden HotPads brings me back to the beginning and I would have to scroll through all the properties again and again and again. It’s so annoying!! Other than that HotPads is good, but this one issue is a deal breaker for me.

by Z0mbi3Unic0rn

I love HotPads. It's super easy to use and I like that you could zoom in and out on the map because it's so much easier than guessing where something is located. Especially when you don't know exactly where you want to live. It's extremely helpful and is full of information. I would highly recommend this for apartment searching.

by Sweetgurlt23

I like HotPads . It gives accurate rentals. I like how it provides street views even when there isn't pictures of the rental. One thing I do not like is when I put a certain city or town in, it doesn't give me just that town. It still gives me surrounding towns. It doesn't give always give you the criteria you're looking for.