Are apartment locating services free in Houston? How do they work?

Question

I don't think I have any broken leases but thanks to a JERK with whom a I used to live I might not have the best renter's history. Anyway I don't care: I might just have to put a BIG deposit up or pay months of rent in advnace: we'll see. Maybe my mom WON'T be kicking me out this spring but that's pushing it lol.

Answer 1

Yup it's free!!! How it works is that, when you go to the apartments and you sign the lease or the information and on the question where it say "who may we thank for sending you to us" put who ever your apartment locator is! So when you do sign the lease and you have moved in the apartments give the person who refered yo there a "kickback!" So you dont have to pay any money... if someone tries to get money from you is not worth it! So when you do get a locator make sure you tell them the exact area you want, or atleast if you want something close to your job, give them your job address so they can find an a place for you, also if you want cable ready, washer and dryer connection, and so on! If you have a broken lease, make sure you tell them so they can talk to the people first to see if they can take you! I know all this cuz I had a great person doing the apartment locator thing and she found me some great apartments for me with everything I wanted and me having a broken lease! Hope I helped!

~yoyo

Answer 2

I have never used an apartment locator but have had my fair share of (HORRIBLE) apartments in Houston.  Be sure to do your own research as people tend to be biased when they get paid to promote a property.

http://www.apartmentratings.com helps sooo much when choosing.  Read through the reviews.  Also I believe http://www.rent.com still gives $100 rebate when you use them and sign a lease.

Answer 3

Yes, locators work for free.  They usually have a list of apartments available who work with them to get tenants.  When the locator sends them a new tenant, the locator gets a fee from the apt complex.  No charge to you.  The locators will not necessarily have ALL apts available on their lists, only the ones listing with them.  You may just find your neighborhood where you want to live and hit the road on Saturday and visit them all for quotes, floor plans, safety issues and amenities.