PorchLight FAQ

BEFORE SIGNING YOUR LEASE: Should you find a private rental, make sure you or the company representing the rental verifies you are working with the rightful owner and property taxes are up-to-date. This can be done in some areas for a minimal fee at BeenVerified or PropertyShark. Lease reviews are available for purchase through PorchLight's site.

NOTE: Because scam artists can also see who the owner of the property is and assume that person’s name, be sure to ask the owner for a photo ID for verification.

In most of the United States, the landlord pays the agent a finders fee to list their property and find a tenant. In Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York City (and it’s Burroughs), Fairfield County in Connecticut and the eastern part of New Jersey, that is not the case. The landlord lists the property with a brokerage, but it is the tenant that pays the fee. That fee is determined by the listing brokerage and it is up to the listing brokerage as to whether they split it with your agent. Most of the times, it is shared except for on “exclusive” listings. The fee is the listing brokerage’s compensation for finding a tenant for the property and compensation for your agent’s brokerage for helping/representing you in finding a home and finalizing a lease to rent the property

You may have received a lump-sum payment where the intent is that money is provided to purchase services needed for moving. If you’re not certain, check with your employer or relocation management company.

This all depends on how much notice a landlord requires to terminate a lease and usually listed next to the local expert's picture. In most areas, that is 30 days, so it would make sense to start looking about a month in advance. In Seattle, most landlords have a 20-day notice to vacate, and other areas, 60-days-notice is required. Our local rental expert will know how much notice is needed and will be able to coach you appropriately. NOTE: Should you be looking for an apartment, you can visit the area anytime as apartments will always have units coming available; however, if you are looking for a house, it is best to look within 30-45 days of your desired move in (unless that area requires a 60-day notice, then you’d look 60-75 days in advance). In places like New York City, rentals are available immediately, so it is expected you would start paying rent right away or within 1-2 weeks. Be sure to discuss this with the expert BEFORE booking your travel to be sure to use that visitation trip wisely. And try to give your expert enough time to plan a thorough itinerary. Purchasing a tour and giving a week’s notice is very helpful, especially if you would like to receive listings in advance. For more on what takes place to prepare, see “What happens after I purchase service?”

We highly recommend preparing a pet resume, and if you have multiple pets or a breed that is on the aggressive breed list, offer to purchase liability insurance. More information on both, as well as sample letters, can be found in the “Navigating the Rental Market” e-book.

Compiling a rental list is the most time-consuming part of rental finding. Each area is different and there is not one site that aggregates all rentals, there are several. There are numerous sites used for rental searching and most do not accurately reflect true availability. They are not updated in a timely manner. When you find a rental you like, it will require contacting the property to confirm current availability and current pricing. The Navigating the Rental Market” e-Book provides more websites and further instructions on how to search, especially in those remote or difficult areas. The local expert will do that search for you when purchasing RentLINK or a rental tour.

PorchLight offers you a number of ways to connect to rental experts specializing in the rental market. They have insight on the rental market and they’ll save you time by managing your rental search. Customers find the rental expert helps them identify the neighborhoods and schools, locating the best rental options, qualifying and helping them make an informed leasing decision quickly (see Rental Touring Services). This creates a faster transition and reduces the expense of lodging during your relocation. Read Success Stories

Commissions are not as prevalent with rentals in 99% of the U.S. The local rental professionals are experts in the rental market and are paid a fee by the customer to represent them in this process finding qualified rentals, setting appointments, accompanying customers to view the properties while assisting through the leasing process.

Much like having your house cleaned or car washed, it is more of a convenience; however, if you’ve never rented before or are new to the area, the expert provides a wealth of knowledge on the area helping you understand the neighborhoods, commute times, and when you should start your search. If you have the time to search, you may only need the phone consultation to ensure what you’re finding is what it seems. If you don’t have the time, PorchLight saves time and money.

(i.e. Cincinnati – interested in Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio, Washington DC – interested in Virginia/Maryland/DC, New Jersey – interested in NYC, New Jersey or Rockland/Westchester County NY)

You’ll want to pay close attention to the “Areas Served” to be sure the local rental expert covers all areas of interest to you. Should you find, after purchasing a service, that he/she doesn’t cover that area, the service will be canceled. In these situations, we do recommend purchasing from PorchLight as we can coordinate multiple local rental experts to serve you.

Our local rental experts have been working with PorchLight providing rental assistance for years. Most are real estate agents who assist with renting as well as buying and selling. They know it is your intent to rent and you are hiring them for rental assistance and they are THRILLED to serve you.

This means the rental experts have been part of PorchLight’s rental network for years, serving customers just like you and receiving high satisfaction ratings so we can ensure they qualify for the job. Most of the experts have “Feedback” from the renters they’ve assisted to provide you with confidence on their services. Those without posted ratings just haven’t had customers complete the survey for feedback. All our experts average an 84% rental finding record or higher, so you enjoy peace of mind.

View the Rental Expert’s profile. It will indicate if the expert only uses the MLS, only apartments and/or provides an unbiased search of all sites where rentals are listed.

Usually, rentals are sent a few days prior to the rental tour. Should you want to get listings sooner, please just ask. Most times, the expert’s concern is that the rentals sent earlier may be rented by the time of the tour.

If you want to receive listings BEFORE scheduling your tour, you’ll want to at least let the expert know when you’ll be available as rentals go quickly. If he/she sends you listings today and you let her know you’d like to see them tomorrow, she may not be available, so it’s imperative that you and the expert work together to set expectations on when you’re both available. Likewise, if she sends you listings today and you want to wait a week to see them, chances are most will no longer be available.

See the section on What happens after I purchase service?”

View the Rental Expert’s profile to see what type of lease advocacy they offer. As a rule of thumb, if the expert is a licensed real estate agent, he/she can provide their company lease if the landlord allows it. If it is listed by another agent, management company or apartment community, they will typically provide the lease, but your expert can let you know if it is a state/board approved lease, assist you with negotiations; however, your expert cannot act as an attorney and modify leases. Lease reviews are available for purchase here.

View the Rental Expert’s profile and it will indicate if they can discuss schools. Most of our experts are licensed real estate agents and legally, they are not permitted to “steer” you to areas or recommend one school or district over another. Therefore, they are only able to provide you with published information or guide you to places where you can find that information. If schools are the most important factor, the “Navigating the Rental Market” e-book (provided with all services) has a fantastic section on how to find the best schools.

There is no advantage. Choose the local expert based on the added services they offer. This is found when you click on “View the Rental Expert.” If you select PorchLight, the local experts are who PorchLight will be arranging your service through. There are a couple instances where PorchLight is a better choice though: • If you are moving to a tri-state area – we can ensure we arrange the team servicing all areas vs. just one.
• If schools are important, PorchLight would be a good choice because we can provide the top public school districts.
• If you want PorchLight’s Rental Success Manager involved to support you by making the agent selection for you, facilitating the service arrangements, checking-in on your satisfaction and stepping-in for additional support with questions or perhaps additional rental listings if you need after your rental tour.

The local rental expert may be newer to PorchLight and not have received any reviews. He or she has been vetted and trained by PorchLight. After you speak with him/her or have a rental tour, you’ll receive an email confirming that you are satisfied and asking for your feedback. It is greatly appreciated.

Real estate agents cannot tell you if an area is safe or not. It is against fair housing law; however, a great way to find out is:

1) ***Ask the local expert if they would live there or want their son or daughter to live there.
2) Go to or call the local police department to find out the crime that has happened.
3) neighborhoodscout.com provides crime statistics.