Review my startup: PadLister - Apartment Listings with Online Applications

padlister.com

3 points·ericd··7 comments

I just launched online applications with automatic credit checks, so I thought I'd share the site and try to get some feedback. This is a companion site to PadMapper (http://www.padmapper.com), which helps renters find apartments.

An example of a listing page on the site: http://www.padlister.com/listings/6966.2-bedroom-2-bathroom-...

And an example of an online application form: https://www.padlister.com/rent_applications/new/6966

What's the plan for monetizing the site? I've been under the impression that Craigslist will serve C&Ds if you crawl the site for profit.

PadLister charges $15 per applicant for online applications, which results in some profit after paying for the credit check.

And that doesn't conflict with Craigslist's terms of service?

The online applications aren't on Craigslist listings, only on ones posted on PadLister.

If you pitch to investors, think of framing that issue differently. CL's TOS does not make a distinction: crawling is denied to the website that specializes in classified listings.

Crawling seems to be a poorly defined legal area, so doing it is wise: carve out your space while you can. But it would also seem wise to plan on getting denied to CL. You would not be the first nor the last.

Yeah, good point. PadMapper itself was started as a hobby project, but PadLister aims to be a bit more commercial. I don't know if it matters that PadLister is almost entirely separate from PadMapper.

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