Apartment Locators Scam? What Apartment Locators Do.

Are Apartment Locators on Apartment Rental Websites scam artists?
They generate income by taking a commission on all those referred through their websites to apartment locators. Apartment locating is a business that makes its profits by taking one month’s rent from the property management company or landlord when they place a tenant in the apartment complex of that particular property management company (or property owner). Apartment locators work freelance, from home, and they earn between $39,000 and $45,000 per annum. Is it a scam?

What An Apartment Locator Does For You
The work is not particularly difficult, if it could be called work at all. What the apartment locator does is ask you a few simple questions like how many bedrooms you would like, what area you would like to live in, and what your budget is. They will then go to the particular database that their company works from, key in your information, send you the link, and ask you, very politely, if you would use them as a referral. Many don’t know that much about the apartments – especially if they are just starting out. They also don’t have to leave their desks in order to assist you. All they do is send you the link from their particular database of what is currently available, and that is it. If you don’t come back to them, yes, they will call you, and send you another set of links from their database.

Paid One Month’s Rent
Now, here’s the nice part. If you decide to take the apartment, they will then ask you to complete the property management company form saying that you were referred by that particular apartment locator. They don’t get paid unless you do. But if they do get paid, they get paid a full month’s rent. As I said, nice work, if you can find it!

Apartment Locators Do Not Have All the Apartments In Their Databases
While apartment locators will tell you that their database contains all the residential apartments that are available, this is not true. Those landlords that do not wish to pay a commission to apartment locators, as they do not have difficulty in letting their properties, are often not in the databases of these companies. In fact, more than 52% of landlords and property companies will not pay a referral to an apartment locator. So, that means if you are looking for an apartment, you are missing out on apartments that the apartment locator cannot give you.

Supply Your Email
It is easy to establish which websites use apartment locators, as they want you to give your email before you can search the website. These websites will not allow you to search their website if you do not give your email. That’s because if you get the information, you cannot go through them. And that means they will not get the fee.

Apartment Locators Do Not Give You All The Options There Are.
Many have discovered that apartment locators do not do much more than pass on the link. They do not provide additional vital information, nor do they give the apartment hunter the edge in finding a suitable apartment. In fact, because both the apartment locator, and the company the apartment locator is working for, are both taking a commission, it is likely that the apartments found through these websites are more expensive than those who do not pay a commission.

Every Apartment Mapped
When searching for an apartment, there are websites that list just as many apartments, and these include those landlords and property managers that do not wish to list on those sites that charge a commission. This includes sites like everyaptmapped.com. The two guys that started this website were responsible for creating the software of many of the website apartment locating companies. They were somewhat outraged at the way it had become nothing more than a profit mill and set up their own list of apartments. One can easily negotiate their sites and find the details of any apartment one would like to explore and contact the landlord personally. Those apartments that do not pay large referral fees every month tend to be a few bucks lower than those that do.

Your Apartment Locator
Remember that once the apartment locator has sent you the links to all the apartments on her company websites, her job is done. You will be told that you will have to contact the property manager, and do all the real work yourself! Frequently, there is nothing that an apartment locator can do for you that you cannot do for yourself. More to the point, you can find a better apartment at a less expensive price, and not waste the time involved by dealing with a third party. There are exceptions, though. If you are in a hurry and you don’t have the time to do it yourself, and you don’t mind paying a few bucks more or looking at the full range available, apartment locators can work wonders.