Truth in apartment rentals. A case study.

I lifted this ad right out of Craigslist because it is for a property I (we) occupied for about 6 month. Name, phone number and address have been deleted to protect the guilty. I hope this side-by-side analysis will give you an idea of how to read a rental ad!

My comments are in brackets [...]

Here we go:

Located in the Upper Breaches [I think he means Beaches - and exaggeration of sorts] at [address removed to protect the guilty]. (Danforth & Woodbine) & available for Oct 1st: This spacious [spacious is obviously open to interpretation!] 1 bedroom unit on 2nd floor of renovated [how many years ago was it renovated again?] house on beautiful [the term beautiful was obviously used very loosely here] quiet tree-lined residential street just steps [every journey start with a first step, right?] to all Amenities & Convenient Transportation is perfect for a couple [huh? You got to love being on top of each other 24/7 otherwise I suggest you pass on this one!], single professional or student (Pets OK).
 
FEATURES

Have the amenities you really shouldn’t live without! [certainly sounds charming, but what exactly are those amenities one should not live without?] This charming [adjective open to interpretation!] recently renovated unit in century home has it all!:

  • Bright eat-in kitchen with Loads [why is loads spelled with a capital L? The place has hardly enough room to store your dishes!]  of Cupboards, Large Fridge [standard size that is! Oh, and you can't open the door all the way because of the overall room size when used as eat-in kitchen as this friendly landlord suggests], and complete with Dishwasher! [you have to hook up to water and power every time you want to use it that is!];
  • Private En-Suite Washer and Dryer (not coin operated)!!! [Sounds generous, give me a break! The dryer isn't even vented to the outside as required by law, it can however be used for heating!];
  • Central Air-Conditioning & Forced-Air Heating [true, except landlord forgot to mention that you have no control over it, as the thermostat is in the downstairs unit - you better get to love your neighbors!];
  • Windows in every room [I call rooms without windows closets, so where is the feature in this one?];
  • Cozy private front porch (enjoy & kick-back) [if you enjoy sitting right next to the road with your downstair neighbors looking over your shoulders while you are relaxing, sure!];
  • Modern bright & spacious washroom with Full-sized Bathtub [this one is hilarious, there isn't even enough room to sit comfortably on the loo!];
  • Bedroom large enough for a Queen-Sized bed [yup, wall to wall for sure; does the term bed usually include some kind of bed frame?];
  • Gorgeous Hardwood Floors [Adjectives are every landlord's friend me thinks!];
  • High Ceilings [somewhere above the gorgeous hardwood floors!];
  • Huge [OMG, I am imagining walking into a room this guy would describe as mid size!] sun-drenched living room (with a door- allowing it to be used alternatively as an extra bedroom for guests) [rooms with doors, a good idea for sure... but a feature?];
  • Professional [and what exactly was this painter's profession?] Paint Job with Designer Colours [not quite sure where he is going with this descriptive?];
  • Large closets [the rooms are tiny, what do you think the size of the closets actually is?] with tons of Storage Space throughout [ideal for anyone seriously void of belongings!];
  • Main floor entrance hall with ample space for shoes & coats [well, that would have to be on the floor as there is not enough room to place a piece of furniture larger than a mouse trap];
  • Access to Front Garden Areas (potential for someone with a green thumb) [access yes, after all you need to get to your "private entrance", but it sure will require more than just a green thumb!];
  • Parking Available!
  • This unit also comes with the security and convenience of a private entrance. [you have your own entrance, only the dead-bolt actually works though]

 
GREAT LOCATION

Enjoy the best of both worlds with beautiful active parks and tree-lined streets, as well as trendy restaurants, brunch spots, lounges, shops and cafes in your own neighbourhood. Also just minutes from all amenities, including: Grocery Stores, Drug Store, Video Store, Gym, Mall and countless other shops. It is a short walk to two beautiful parks. This home is also just as short drive to and Greektown / The Danforth (shops & restaurants) The Beaches (shops, movie theatre), Little India, China Town East and Leslieville [comments in this paragraph would have made it completely unreadable!]
 
CONVENIENT TRANSPORTATION

This is a great location to commute from! [true true, one just really needs to get out!] Literally a 5-10 minute walk to the Woodbine Subway station on the Danforth subway line (10-15 minute ride downtown). Also just a 10 minute drive to either Don Valley Parkway or the Gardiner Expressway.
 
Don’t miss the opportunity to grab this fabulous home in great location! [My advice: There is always another opportunity right around the corner.]
Call [phone number removed] or email today.
Cheers & Happy Hunting!
 
[address removed here]
cats are OK - purrr
dogs are OK - wooof
Location: Danforth/Upper Beach [address removed here]
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

First things first - Why are we doing this?

What is the purpose of creating yet another rental website?

There are already a ton of rental websites available to Canadians like Craigslist, kijiji and Viewit.ca, housingmap etc... Though many of these websites boast huge amounts of traffic, they also all share some unresolved problems. We think there has to be a better way for renters to find their next home and an easier approach for landlords to advertise their properties.

OK, but how much traffic do you have?

Both Craigslist and kijiji have a lot of traffic. They offer landlords the opportunity of exposure and possibly a lot of inquiries for their ads. This may result in many phone calls in the first few hours after placing an ad, a lot of calls from unqualified renters or people who aren't seriously interested. What's the purpose of showing “3 bedroom house, $2500/month” to a student who clearly just wants a studio under $800? We believe in quality over quantity any day! For landlords that means less time responding to emails and calls, and more showings to interested and qualified renters, ultimately renting out your place quickly with minimal bullshit.

High exposure isn't always good, you need the right exposure!

At UR we use "target marketing" filtering, allowing us to deliver the right ads to the right audience. We match the landlord's renting criteria with renters who would be the best fit. When presenting the information this way your ad will attract renters who are interested and qualified. We boost the sales conversion rate for the landlords and give the renters a leg up in finding the right place.

Larger Search results are good, smaller ones even better!

What? If you are wondering if we have gone bonkers read on... At first a search that generates pages and pages of results does look promising, absolutely! It generates lots of possibilities. If you google "How to make pizza sauce" you will get roughly 591,000 results, not kidding. "WOW, that's exciting. I will surely find something in here." Granted, but will you really go through 591,000 entries just to make pizza sauce? With the exception of the clinically insane, you will do what most people do, and that is to look at maybe the first couple of pages. Actually, according to our own research, up to page 6. Assuming 10 results displayed per page, in this case a search that generated 60 results is as useful as one that generated 591,000. Even though the remaining 590,940 results aren't viewed, good to know they are there...

Rental websites are facing the same problem, they have large amounts of data to display. Craigslist for example will burry your rental ad quickly underneath new ads in the hours after your post. Some websites will use complicated searches to solve this problem or allow you to refine your search, which is a nice way of saying "search again." It basically means "Could you please be more specific so we can narrow down your search?" or "Here are 591,000 results. You sort them out!" Generally speaking, all of these solutions are good ideas, but they all require the renter to search twice. This tests the patience of the renter and many of them will just opt out.

Can't there just be an effective search?

We think yes! An effective search should generate the smallest and most relevant search results. We at UR are doing our best to present renters with the smallest number of results that best meet their needs. We give landlords credits for removing their ads when the property is rented before their ad expires; unlike some rental websites that give you a few hundred matches when you search for "2 bedroom house for rent," half of which don't tell you if the property is still available. If a landlord can't clearly state if a property is actually available it should not appear in your search results. We also periodically call landlords to verify the vacancy of their properties. This helps us keep our database relevant and compact, so we can provide renters with the most up-to-date rental listings.

If you are searching for something on UR and we don't have what you are looking for, we will tell you so. We value your time. We would rather display 2 pages of useful information than showing you 591,000 matches just to look good. At UR we are always looking for ways to by reduce mouse clicks,  minimize our user's efforts and increase everybody's happiness.