Apartments.com Review Guide

Who uses Apartments.com

Renters researching apartment communities, and property managers and their designated authorized users who manage listings through the Apartments.com Network Customer Portal. Reviews apply to properties with more than four units; single-family rental homes are not eligible.

Claim your profile

1. Register for the Customer Portal with your first name, last name and email address, choose a password and verify your email with the one-time passcode.
2. Sign in; the portal asks for a one-time passcode sent to your email unless you chose to remember the device, which skips the check for 30 days.
3. Under Request Property Access, enter the management company or owner name, the property name and the full address, click Add Property for each property you need, then click Request Access.
4. The request goes to the Apartments.com Network Support Team, which says it finishes account setup within one to two business days.

Official guidelines: propertyhelp.apartments.com

Replying to reviews

Sign in to your account dashboard and open the Reviews tab. Search by property in the Keyword field or use the sorting options to find the review, choose Respond to Review, write your response in the form and select Submit Response. The response is then published to Apartments.com.

• Consumer reviews and community comments published on Apartments.com are syndicated automatically to other sites in the same network, such as ForRent.com and ApartmentFinder.com.

Official guidelines: propertyhelp.apartments.com

Review rules

In our own words. The official page is the rule that applies.

• Reviews are accepted only for communities with more than four units, and the author must be signed in to an Apartments.com account.
• Every submission passes through moderation filters and does not post immediately. Approved content typically posts within about ten business days, depending on volume.
• Reviews should stay focused on the community, its management, the neighborhood and local activities, and should reflect the author's own experience living at or visiting it.
• Profanity, symbols standing in for profanity, name-calling and derogatory language are not permitted.
• Full names of individuals other than the author are not permitted.
• Language must comply with the Fair Housing Act, so mentions of government vouchers or claims of discrimination based on race, religion or ethnicity are examples of content to avoid.
• Reviews should not name competing communities or management companies, and may not point to other websites, links, email addresses or phone numbers.
• Reviews cannot be edited, and photo uploads are not supported.

Official guidelines: renterhelp.apartments.com

Reporting a review

Apartments.com's own process, step by step.

1. Apartments.com states it removes negative reviews only in two situations: when a new management company buys or inherits a community from another one, or when the management company can provide documentation that a negative review is false or fabricated.
2. For help with a negative review, email the Apartments.com support team at the address listed in the Property Owner and Manager Help Center.
3. The help center does not describe a self-service flag button for reviews or a timeline for decisions.

Official guidelines: propertyhelp.apartments.com

Tips

• Respond to reviews, including critical ones, in a calm and courteous tone that addresses the community and the specific concern.
• Do not include personal information about residents or lease details in a public response.
• Keep your property and contact information in the portal current so renters can reach you.
• If you believe a review is fabricated, gather documentation before you contact support, since the stated removal standard relies on documentation.
• Follow Fair Housing guidelines in anything you publish, including responses.