WhoseYourLandlord

Before dining out, I check out Yelp. Before watching Netflix, I read Rotten Tomatoes. Before I switch apartments though, I just Craigslist like crazy and pray to the apartment gods.

Wait - I refuse to spend $5 on poorly reviewed latte but just hand over first and last month’s rent and security deposit to an unknown landlord? Yeah, that doesn’t seem right. And you know what? WhoseYourLandlord (WYL) feels the same way.

WYL wants to empower renters to become smarter consumers and help landlords become better landlords. Think of it as a Yelp for renters and landlords. WYL includes landlord reviews, apartment postings, neighborhood insights, and community driven content. Renters can understand which places are good fits for them faster, and landlords can avoid potential tenants who can’t afford the rent or might not be a good fit. In our post-Baby Boomer age, renting is up and homeowning is down. Right now, 42 million citizens rent, and homeownership rate among the 18-34 year olds dropped 7% in the last decade. Among the 35-44 year old crowd, it dropped 9%. Plus, 52% of all renters are under 30.

That millennial crowd makes up 70% of WYL’s audience, which they claim is over 115,000 in 180 cities. Their biggest bases are in Philly (80,000 users) and Brooklyn (50,000). Their plan for generating revenue stems from partnerships (they’ve already partnered with companies like AllState and TransUnion) and user fees. Landlords would pay a subscription to post apartments, while users could pay a small fee to access premium features such as community insights, legal questions on neighborhoods, and enter forums with actual residents.

While there are renter-review sites already out there, WYL seems to have some special sauce youthful energy and determination. As someone who has moved seven times in the past ten years, I know the renter struggle is real. If WYL can start expanding to other cities and broaden their audience, this review site might just be the next tool for renters. After all - who IS your landlord? We should all probably find out.