Zillow Allowing Renters to Schedule Apartment Tours From the Portal

Zillow has today announced a new feature that will let prospective tenants schedule a property viewing directly from the portal.

Until now Zillow's rental listings included a 'request a tour' interface which allowed prospective renters to send a message to an agent or property manager requesting a tour of the property on a certain date. The property manager would then have to get in touch in person with the user to schedule the tour.

Below: Automated Tour Scheduling on Zillow Rentals

With the new feature, the user is assured that they will see the property at a time and date that suits them without needing to wait for a response from a third party.

The feature is currently live on 2,600 active portal listings via integrations with two CRM software providers, Knock CRM and Funnel Leasing. Zillow says that more property managers are adopting the technology and is sure to be pursuing more partnerships.

"Touring is a major milestone in the journey of finding a rental, and it's due for innovation," says Michael Sherman, vice president of Zillow Rentals. "Allowing renters to instantly book a tour removes barriers and delivers a more seamless and convenient experience for renters and property managers. Freeing up the time it takes to coordinate schedules allows renters to focus on finding their perfect place without worrying about when they'll get a chance to see it, and gives property managers valuable time back for other important tasks."

A press release from Zillow also touted its Rental Profile feature which the Seattle-based portal company claims helps renters "put their best foot forward and potentially expedite the screening process" and which acts as a way for the company to enrich the data it sends as leads.

Today's news will no doubt be used as a stick to beat Zillow with for the many disgruntled agents whose claims that the portal is looking to disintermediate them have grown louder since the company spent $500m to acquire the showing management firm ShowingTime in 2021.