Apartments.com Rental Finder

Apartments.com Review: Unit-Level Rent Math, With a $32 Fee to Apply

Free to Search, $32 to Apply: How Apply Now Works

Browsing and booking tours are free; costs begin at the green Apply button, where Apply Now is a one-time $32 plus tax for ten applications to participating listings over 30 days, bundling a TransUnion credit, criminal and eviction report you can open for 60 days. The check is a soft inquiry, so your score does not move. Every adult and guarantor buys a separate report, since one purchase cannot be shared. Only listings whose owners opted in show the button, a community's own third-party portal is not covered, and refunds are not guaranteed. Zillow charges $35 for unlimited participating rentals over 30 days. Prices are US figures and can change.

Total Monthly Price and the Cost Calculator, Unit by Unit

A Total Monthly Price badge means required monthly fees are already folded into the advertised rent. CoStar lists that all-in figure as mandatory for properties in Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Nevada, Virginia and Colorado; elsewhere a property opts in. The Cost Calculator splits monthly from one-time charges: the store screenshot example totals $1,770 a month and $740 at move-in, including a $500 deposit. It relies on community-supplied data and excludes payment processing, move-out charges and usage-based utilities. A Commute filter powered by TravelTime measures drive, transit, walking or cycling time at rush hour, and since June 2026 you can draw several search areas on the map.

Paying Rent Online: Free by Bank Transfer, 2.75% by Card

Rent payments appear only after a landlord using CoStar's free Rental Tools invites you by email. You then link a checking account or card, schedule a deposit and set Auto Pay with an optional end date. Bank transfers are free and take about five business days to reach the landlord; credit card, debit card, Apple Pay and Google Pay cost 2.75%, or $41.25 on $1,500 rent, and post in two to three business days. Roommates can each pay their own share without seeing each other's bank details. Two catches: a processing payment cannot be stopped, and only the owner can remove a late fee.

SSNs, Credit Scores and a Privacy Notice Shared With Homes.com

Applying asks for your SSN or ITIN, income, employment, rental history and vehicle details, plus answers to questions drawn from your credit file; the help center says those answers are never shown to the owner or stored on the site. Google Play's Data safety form lists credit score, precise location and files shared with third parties, and email used for marketing. The service falls under CoStar's Global Privacy Notice, which also covers Homes.com and states that in the past year CoStar sold, or used for targeted advertising, contact details, online identifiers, IP addresses, non-precise geolocation and properties you considered. CoStar honors Global Privacy Control signals as an opt-out.