What is a Rent Zestimate

A Rent Zestimate® (pronounced Zest-ti-met, rhymes with estimate) is Zillow's estimated monthly rent price, computed using a proprietary formula. It is a starting point in determining the monthly rental price for a specific property. The Rent Zestimate is pulled from public property data and similar local properties listed for rent; there may be special features, location, and market conditions our algorithms have not taken into account. Variations in rental price can also occur because of negotiation factors, special incentives, and length of lease. We encourage renters and landlords to supplement Zillow's information by doing additional research such as: 

- Talk to a local real estate agent, or property manager that specializes in rentalss
- Compare rental to other nearby apartment and homes for rent on Zillow
- Visit the rental (whenever possible)

What's the Rent Range?

The Rent Range, which is related to the Rent Zestimate, shows the high and low estimates an apartment or home could rent for (e.g. Rent Zestimate is $2,600, Rent Range is $2,000-$3,200). The Rent Range can vary in magnitude depending upon our historic ability to estimate our similar homes. A wider range indicates less data or more volatility in the data. A smaller range means we have lots of information to help compute the Rent Zestimate and Rent Range.

I am a landlord and my Rent Zestimate is too low - or too high. What gives?

As we said Rent Zestimate is a starting point in figuring the estimated price of a rental. For one thing, the amount of information and data we have affects the Rent Zestimate accuracy. If your home facts are incorrect, this will affect your Rent Zestimate. However, you can update your home facts, which may affext your Rent Zestimate.

Last updated:

February 5, 2013

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By Diane Tuman