Online Listings

Online rental services have sprouted like weeds in recent years. Some are national in scope; others are regional. To find one in your area, use your search engine to look for residential renting. Don't overlookcraigslist, an extremely popular and free service that has all but usurped the other services in many parts of the country.

Homefinders' or Apartment-Finding Services

In some areas, apartment-finding services are very popular (though in large cities, they're getting a lot of competition from craigslist). Landlords pay to list their properties, though sometimes it's the tenants who pay the fee when the unit is rented. If this system is popular in your area, you may want to consider it, especially if other approaches have not yielded results.

Word of Mouth

Many smaller landlords find that instead of advertising widely and having to screen many potential tenants in an effort to sort the good from the bad, it makes better sense to market their rentals through word-of-mouth -- telling friends, colleagues, neighbors, and current tenants. After all, people who already live in your property will want decent neighbors. For example, if you know a vacancy is coming up, you might visit or send a note to all tenants whom you or your manager think well of. Ask them to tell friends or relatives about the available apartment.

University or Corporate Housing Offices

If your rental is near a large college or university, consider posting the rental through their housing offices. Same goes for big employers nearby with employee assistance programs. Most college and corporate housing offices will list your rental for little or no fee. Corporate housing is often a very good bet for landlords -- you know the tenant has a job, and you also know that the tenant has passed many of the same screening tests (in order to land the job) that you'll use, too. For example, chances are the employer spoke with former employers. You can take advantage of these "pre-screened" applicants.