Are there apps available for renting accommodation in Calgary?
In Calgary's dynamic and ever-growing real estate market, mobile apps for renting have become indispensable tools for both tenants and property owners. With rising housing prices and increased competition for quality rental properties, technological solutions provide effective ways to navigate the complex rental market. As Canada's fourth-largest city with a population of over 1.3 million, Calgary has a developed ecosystem of digital platforms serving a variety of housing needs, from university students and young professionals to families and new immigrants.
The landscape of mobile apps for renting housing in Calgary is characterized by a variety of platforms, each offering unique features and approaches to finding housing. These apps not only simplify the process of finding apartments, condos, and houses, but also provide tools for verifying landlords, submitting applications, conducting virtual tours, and even digitally signing lease agreements. From specialized Canadian platforms such as RentFaster and liv.rent to international giants such as Zumper and PadMapper, Calgary residents have access to a wide range of technological solutions that cater to different budgets, location preferences, and specific housing needs.
RentFaster: Alberta's Leading Platform
RentFaster occupies a unique place in Calgary's rental app ecosystem as one of the most widely used platforms in the province of Alberta. Founded right here in Calgary, the platform understands the specific needs of the local rental market and offers features designed specifically for Alberta renters and landlords.
The app offers a comprehensive set of search tools, including map, list, and grid views of results. RentFaster's filtering system is particularly advanced, allowing users to search by basic and advanced characteristics, proximity to important locations, landmarks, and specific Calgary neighborhoods. The app also provides detailed neighborhood profiles with rental statistics, information about schools, libraries, bus routes, and maps, helping users make informed decisions about where to live.
One of RentFaster's most innovative features is its simplified rental application process. Instead of re-entering the same information for each landlord, users can fill out a quick application once and send it to multiple landlords. The email and phone verification system helps tenants stand out from other applicants. RentFaster's saved searches feature is especially valuable for busy professionals who don't have time to check new listings every day. Users set up a search, save it, and receive email notifications about matching listings. The app also includes a rent affordability calculator for confident rental cost planning.
Kijiji: Canada's Most Popular Marketplace
Kijiji remains one of the most popular apps for finding housing in Calgary, thanks to its status as Canada's largest rental marketplace. Founded in 2005, Kijiji serves millions of Canadians and offers a wide range of rental options, from apartments and condos to houses and rooms for rent.
The updated Kijiji app is designed for faster sales and easier searching. Users can set a search radius, browse over 400 categories, including housing, and find not only apartments, but also furniture and household items. Kijiji's messaging system enables direct communication between tenants and landlords, and the rating and review system helps users make informed decisions.
liv.rent: A comprehensive, verified platform
liv.rent focuses on security, verification, and a comprehensive rental experience. The platform is available in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Montreal and covers the entire rental process—from searching to signing a contract and paying rent.
The biggest advantage of liv.rent is its multi-layered verification system, which protects against fraud. The Trust Score system provides landlords with detailed information about potential tenants, including employment and income checks and credit checks. For tenants, this means faster and more efficient application processing.
liv.rent also offers digital contracts, rent collection, and even Bitcoin payments. Tenants can search, apply, book viewings, sign contracts, and pay rent through the app.
Zumper: International platform with AI features
Zumper serves the US and Canadian markets, including Calgary. The app features over a million listings with high-quality images and videos and offers advanced filters by price, bedrooms, neighborhoods, and amenities.
Zumper's AI recommendation system is based on user preferences, automatically selecting suitable apartments. The platform also supports one-click viewing appointments, virtual and in-person viewings, and direct communication with property managers.
PadMapper: Geographically-oriented search
PadMapper offers an intuitive map search experience. Users can draw shapes on the map to outline their desired areas and use filters for price, bedrooms, and housing type. The platform aggregates listings from various sources, including Zumper and other networks.
PadMapper also supports pet-friendly searches and allows users to save favorite listings for later viewing.
Apartments.com: American platform with Canadian coverage
Apartments.com provides significant coverage of the Canadian rental market, including Calgary. The platform offers over 2,600 rental properties, detailed filters by amenities (pet-friendly, furnished, washing machines, air conditioning, and more), and special sections for apartments near the University of Calgary's main campus.
Specialized Canadian platforms
Rentals.ca serves over 100 cities in Canada, including Calgary. The platform focuses on design and support, offering interactive price maps and free listings for landlords.
Social media and classifieds
Facebook Marketplace is becoming increasingly popular for finding housing and furniture. Users can view landlord profiles and filter by price and distance, making their search more targeted.
Subsidized and affordable housing
Calgary Housing Company provides a web portal for applying for subsidized housing. Applicants create accounts, submit applications, upload documents, and check application status online.
Apps from large management companies
- Mainstreet Equity offers online platforms to search and apply for their properties.
- Boardwalk REIT emphasizes the combination of nature and urban living.
- Truman Rentals offers customized solutions from condos to townhouses with its own resident portal.
Government rental assistance programs
The Alberta Rent Supplement Program, through the Find Housing web portal, offers temporary assistance to low-income or between-jobs households, helping them afford rent in Calgary and the surrounding area.
Challenges and future trends
Despite the variety of apps, renters face scams and high competition. Future developments will include AI for housing selection, augmented reality for virtual tours, blockchain for secure transactions, and integration with IoT for remote home management. The rise of remote work will require filters for home offices, high-speed internet, and flexible lease terms.
The ecosystem of mobile apps for renting housing in Calgary demonstrates a mature and diverse landscape of opportunities for tenants and landlords. From RentFaster to Zumper and PadMapper, users have access to tools that make renting more efficient, secure, and convenient. As the market evolves, these technologies will remain key to finding and managing the perfect home in the digital age.