Zillow Rental Manager Review: User Feedback, Features & Pricing

Zillow Rental Manager is a tool for rental property owners, property managers, and real estate agents who need basic features to manage listings, applications, and payments.

While it’s a well-known service, particularly for listing syndication across Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads, opinions about its overall utility are mixed.

This review will dive into real user experiences, a detailed breakdown of its features, pricing structure, and highlight the pros and cons based on true feedback of those who’ve used the platform.

Whether you’re managing a single property or multiple rentals, this guide will help you determine if Zillow Rental Manager is the right fit for your needs.

User Reviews and Experiences

To give you a clear picture of Zillow Rental Manager, we've researched various sources, including forums, review sites, and social media, to bring you insights from real users. Here are a few direct quotes from users highlighting their experiences:

• “Zillow makes it easy to post a rental listing and manage tenant applications, but I’ve had issues with their customer support. They’re slow to respond when I needed help with payment processing.”
• "It’s convenient for smaller landlords like myself, but the fees add up quickly if you're not paying attention. I left my listing up by accident and was hit with extra charges."
• "The tenant screening tools are helpful, but I wish there were more robust options for maintenance tracking and communication with tenants."

These quotes represent a mix of positive and negative experiences, showing that while Zillow Rental Manager serves its purpose for smaller portfolios, it may fall short for more complex property management needs.

Zillow Rental Manager Features

Zillow Rental Manager provides a set of basic tools designed to simplify property management for small-scale landlords and property managers. While it’s not as feature-rich as full property management software, it covers essential tasks like listing properties, screening tenants, and processing rent payments.

Here’s a closer look at some of the most notable features:

Listing Syndication

One of Zillow Rental Manager’s strongest features is the ability to syndicate your listing across Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads. This gives your property exposure to a wide audience without having to manually upload listings to multiple sites.

Tenant Screening

The platform offers built-in screening tools, including credit checks, background checks, and eviction history. While convenient, some users report that the screening options are fairly basic compared to other management tools, and results can be delayed.

Rent Collection

Zillow Rental Manager allows for online rent payments via credit card, debit card, or ACH (bank transfer). Auto-pay and payment history tracking are available, making it easier to manage payment records. However, there is a 2.95% transaction fee for credit cards and a $9.95 fee for debit cards, which can quickly add up for both landlords and tenants.

Applications and Leases

Landlords can create rental applications directly on the platform, which prospective tenants fill out online. The platform allows for easy document signing with built-in electronic lease agreements, streamlining the process.

Mobile Access

With Zillow’s mobile app, landlords can manage their listings, tenant communications, and payments on the go. This feature has been praised for its convenience, but it also highlights the platform's limitations in terms of deeper property management tasks.

Missing Features

While Zillow Rental Manager handles listings and payments well, it lacks key features that larger property managers may need, such as tenant communication tools, maintenance request management, and detailed reporting. Users seeking a more robust solution often note these limitations.

Zillow Rental Manager Pricing

Zillow Rental Manager operates on a “freemium” model, meaning that while some features are free, others come with associated costs. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the pricing structure:

Listings

The first listing you post on Zillow Rental Manager is free, but subsequent listings cost $9.99 per property per week. This fee allows your rental listing to stay active and visible across Zillow’s network of sites (Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads). Many users appreciate the visibility, but some landlords have reported accidental overcharges after forgetting to remove their listings once a property was rented out.

Tenant Screening

Zillow offers tenant screening reports, including background checks, credit reports, and eviction history, for $29 per applicant. This cost can either be absorbed by the landlord or passed on to the applicant. While the pricing for screening is competitive, the turnaround time for results can vary, with some users reporting delays.

Rent Payments

For online rent collection, Zillow charges a transaction fee of 2.95% for credit card payments and a flat fee of $9.95 for debit card transactions. ACH (bank transfer) payments are free, which many landlords and tenants prefer due to the lack of fees. However, tenants may find the credit and debit card fees discouraging, especially if those costs are passed on to them.

Premium Listing Option

Zillow also offers a premium listing upgrade called Zillow Feed Connect, which costs $2.45 per listing per day. This premium option boosts your property’s visibility within Zillow’s search results, giving it priority placement.

Fee Summary:

• First listing: Free
• Additional listings: $9.99 per week per listing
• Tenant screening: $29 per applicant (optional for landlords to pay)
• Rent payment fees: 2.95% for credit card payments, $9.95 for debit cards, and free for ACH
• Premium listing: $2.45 per day per listing (optional)

Many users find the initial free listing appealing, but the fees can quickly add up if listings are left active for too long or if premium features are used frequently.

Pros and Cons of Zillow Rental Manager

Now that we’ve covered the features and pricing, let’s take a step back to evaluate the pros and cons based on real user feedback. This will help provide a clear understanding of whether Zillow Rental Manager is the right tool for your property management needs.

Pros:

Easy-to-Use Interface

Many users appreciate how simple Zillow Rental Manager is to navigate. The platform is designed with ease of use in mind, making it suitable for small landlords who may not need or want a more complex property management tool.

Wide Listing Exposure

One of the standout features is Zillow’s listing syndication. Your rental is automatically posted across Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads, which can help reach a larger audience without having to manage multiple listings manually.

Free Initial Listing

The first rental listing is free, which makes Zillow Rental Manager an appealing choice for new landlords or those with just one property to manage.

Convenient Tenant Screening

The built-in tenant screening tools provide access to background checks, credit reports, and eviction history, which landlords can receive at the cost of $29 per applicant. The screening process is fairly straightforward and helps streamline tenant vetting.

Cons:

Limited Features for Larger Portfolios

While Zillow Rental Manager is great for small landlords, it lacks many of the features that larger property management software offers, such as maintenance tracking, tenant communication, and accounting tools. This makes it less suitable for those managing a larger number of units or complex operations.

Fees Can Add Up Quickly

Zillow’s pricing structure can become costly, especially if landlords forget to remove their listings after a property is filled. At $9.99 per listing per week, this cost can add up, particularly for landlords managing multiple properties. Additionally, transaction fees for rent payments may discourage some tenants from paying online.

Inconsistent Customer Support

Several users have reported issues with customer service, citing slow response times and limited support options (only ticket-based). This can be frustrating if a landlord encounters an urgent issue with rent payments or tenant applications.

Lack of Advanced Features

Many users have noted the absence of advanced property management tools, such as automated maintenance requests, tenant communication features, and comprehensive reporting. For landlords with more than a few properties, these missing features can be a dealbreaker.

Is Zillow Rental Manager Right for You

Zillow Rental Manager offers a straightforward, easy-to-use platform that provides essential tools for listing properties, screening tenants, and collecting rent. It’s particularly well-suited for small-scale landlords or those just starting out in property management.

However, the platform’s limited feature set and the potential for fees to accumulate quickly may make it less appealing to landlords managing larger portfolios or those who need more robust management tools, such as maintenance tracking or tenant communication.

For landlords with a single property or a small number of units, Zillow Rental Manager could be an affordable and convenient choice, especially with the benefit of listing syndication across major platforms.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a comprehensive property management software to handle multiple properties with more advanced features, DoorLoop has all the features you need to save you both time and money. 

‍Schedule a free demo to find out how our software helps grow your property management business.