Comments on: Is rent-direct.com a scam?

Question: Is rent-direct.com a scam?

Frank Grimes — Wed, 30 May 2007 10:45:14 -0800

Has anyone used rent-direct.com to get a list of apartments in Manhattan?

It's $249, but they say you don't have to pay a broker's fee and that you talk directly to landlords. My scam sensors went off big time.

By: brain_drain

brain_drain — Wed, 30 May 2007 10:53:33 -0800

I used it several years ago when looking for an apartment (it was cheaper then, I think). My recollection is that it was largely a waste of money because (i) most of the free listings were available elsewhere, (ii) a huge portion of the apartments were all in the same small handful of very large buildings, and (iii) I ended up using a broker anyway because the brokers had better listings. I'm not sure what the service is like today, although in the age of Craigslist I would guess it's not worth $249.

By: milarepa

milarepa — Wed, 30 May 2007 10:56:33 -0800

Don't do it!

By: bunnycup

bunnycup — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:08:59 -0800

I've never heard any real, live success story from
rent-direct or any similar service. Supposedly, apartments in Manhattan go so fast that the list is definitively obsolete by the time you even receive it. To any extent that is somewhat of an exaggeration, I echo brain_drain's thoughts.

By: veronica sawyer

veronica sawyer — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:42:02 -0800

This thread contains a lot of comments from people who mostly seem none-too-happy with their rentdirect experience.

By: saladin

saladin — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:50:01 -0800

Yes, per several friends who've been suckered by this service (or similar ones), it's a definite scam, run away.

By: lovejones

lovejones — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:59:14 -0800

Can happily confirm that they are a complete waste of time and money. Call management companies directly...

By: zackola

zackola — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:17:40 -0800

Don't do it. Waste of money. I did it back when it was only around $100.00 bucks.

By: josher71

josher71 — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:29:10 -0800

Whew! I almost got a job a sales guy there!

By: Frank Grimes

Frank Grimes — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:32:05 -0800

Thanks everyone.

By: doift

doift — Wed, 30 May 2007 12:53:29 -0800

Relatedly, I used it when looking in Queens and Brooklyn, and it was pretty much a bust.

By: sonofslim

sonofslim — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:35:03 -0800

I used it for Bklyn when it was cheaper. Not enough listings to make it worth the cost, since you'll probably end up going through a broker anyway, as I did.