Frequently Asked Questions

If you do not see the question/answer you are looking for here, please contact us.

1. How do I create a new account?
2. Help! I've forgot my password and or username.
3. How do I add a Listing?
4. How do I add an image/photo?
5. Can I link to my website from my listings?
6. How do I Add a Property, Edit my Listings, or Update my Contact Information?
7. How do I Change the Street Address or Number of Bedrooms?
8. How do I add a roommate wanted listing?
9. Can you explain the difference between "Available", "Deactivated", "Available year round", and "Waitlist"?
10. How do I add a "sublet" to the system?
11. I have leased a property and want to change it out for another one. How do I do this?
12. How do I delete a property or a listing?
13. But I've sold the property, or no longer manage it... Can I delete a listing then?
14. I have a lot of properties that I need to list. Help!
15. How long does it take for my listings to show up?
16. Do visitors need an account to search the listings?
17. How can I see statistics on the number of people who've viewed my ad?
18. Do I need to create an additional account if I want to advertise in another market?
19. Am I under any obligation to continue the service if I sign up now for free?
20. Who can I contact for additional information?
21. When and how will I be contacted when the site moves to a fee-based service?
22. What types of advertising do you do?
23. How are we different from other classifieds, online and newspaper?
24. How many visitors can I expect?
25. My email address has changed and I cannot access my old account.
26. I have encountered a bug on your system what should I do?
27. I want to talk with someone about your business and what you do---who do I contact?
28. I see you have a "rental referral service"---how do you decide what local realtors to work with?
29. How do I upgrade my account?
30. How do I avoid scams and fraud?
31. Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?
32. How to recognize scams?
33. Can you list some examples of scams?
34. Do you have rental resources in other markets?

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1. How do I create a new account? top »

On the left hand side of the homepage under the quick search bar there is a "create your rental ad" button. Please click this text and you will be taken to the Create Account Login Page. Fill in your information and click the "create account" button.

2. Help! I've forgot my password and or username. top »

On the left hand side under the quick search bar there is a property manager login and a "forgot password link." Please click this link that says "forgot password link.". You must use the email address that you created your account from in order to get your account information. Also, because our email domain, rentalventures.com, may be new to your email software, please monitor any SPAM filtering to ensure you receive our reply.

3. How do I add a Listing? top »

Sign into your account to open the property manager home page. Click the link on the left, "Add Listing" and fill out the forms on the next page. Your ad will be available immediately to the public. Please note that the address line, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms are FIXED and may not be edited once you've entered them---please make sure you are entering the correct information in these fields.

4. How do I add an image/photo? top »

After you have added a property, click on the "edit listings" tab on the property manager tool bar. Click on the "camera icon" button in the right hand corner of the specific listing you want to post a picture to. Click on the "choose file" button and select the file/image/photo you would like to add. Click the "upload" button and your image will be added immediately. Images/photos must be in .jpg, .pdf, .tif or .gif format. They cannot be more than 700 pixels wide or high. Any picture editing program (such as Photoshop) should have a function to change the size or format of your images. You can also try shrinkpictures.com for help. Our system will not upload images/photos that do not meet the above criteria. As long as the format is allowed, your image could be a floorplan, architectural sketch, or property photograph.

5. Can I link to my website from my listings? top »

Yes. After signing in to your Property Managers account, click on the box that is directly on the bottom right in your Personal Information box. This link will take you to the link and logo page. You can place your logo and website on all your listings. Please check this link for details. We do not allow the listing of website names on our site except in this feature.

6. How do I Add a Property, Edit my Listings, or Update my Contact Information? top »

Log in to your account to open the property manager home page. Click the "Add a Property" button and fill out the forms on the next page. Your ad will be available immediately to the public. To edit or update an existing listing, log in, click on "Edit listings", and then select "Edit this listing" for the relevant property. To update your contact information or change what information is displayed to the public (ie: phone number, name, or business address), log in, click "Edit Profile", and make the necessary changes. You will need to re-enter a password to submit changes to your profile.

7. How do I Change the Street Address or Number of Bedrooms? top »

The Street Address and Number of Bedrooms/bathrooms fields are locked in once you submit a listing. If you have incorrectly typed the street address or number of bedrooms for a listing, or need to change the street address or number of bedrooms/bathrooms to reflect upgrades or changes to a property, you must email us the listing ID # and the changes requested. However, we do not promise we will do this as there is a duplicate verification field when you enter your listing for each of these items.

8. How do I add a roommate wanted listing? top »

When you register as a new user, select a roommate wanted package. Any listing added to the site through this package will also appear in the roommate wanted search.

9. Can you explain the difference between "Available", "Deactivated", "Available year round", and "Waitlist"? top »

The "Availability Status" field allows you to advertise your properties in different ways according to your needs. When you mark a listing "Available", you must also indicate a date that the property will be first available for tenants to move in. The listing will show up as "Available" on the main search pages, with the date included in the actual Listing page. You might use the "Available Year Round" option for properties which may be available multiple times throughout the year, or multiple units with the same description available throughout the year, or if you are flexible with the lease date and want to advertise the property to tenants looking for different dates. Select "Waitlist" if you have a listing which is currently rented, but may be coming available sometime in the future, and you would like to build a waiting list of prospective tenants. Finally, when you no longer wish to have a listing included in the searches (effectively removed from the site), mark it "Deactivated", and your listing will be saved for future advertising.

10. How do I add a "sublet" to the system? top »

When you enter your listing check the box that allows you to make it a sublet.

11. I have leased a property and want to change it out for another one. How do I do this? top »

You can't. Once you enter the Street address and number of bedrooms that's it. A property listing is for a given property. You can mark the property as "deactivated", and change the price and the headline once it becomes available again, but you cannot change the address or the number of bedrooms.

12. How do I delete a property or a listing? top »

You do not need to delete your rental listings to disable it. One of the strengths of our site is that all of your listings are saved in your account, so once you have rented it, you can change the status to "Deactivated" . First, sign into your account. Then click on "Edit Listings". Change the status of the listing you wish to remove from the searches from "Available to "Deactivated". People will no longer be able to view your listing or contact you about the property.

13. But I've sold the property, or no longer manage it... Can I delete a listing then? top »

Yes, in this case we will delete the listing for you. Simply email us with the Listing ID# and the request to delete it from your account permanently. We will process these requests once a month, so in the meantime you can mark them "Deactivated" and they will be removed from all searches.

14. I have a lot of properties that I need to list. Help! top »

Please email us and we will be glad to assist you with creating your account and importing your listings to our site. Please have specifications on the format and source of your listing data, images/photos, and rental status information.

15. How long does it take for my listings to show up? top »

Your online listings appear as soon as you have finished entering them on the site, and clicked "Submit".

16. Do visitors need an account to search the listings? top »

No. The site is offered free to people looking for rentals.

17. How can I see statistics on the number of people who've viewed my ad? top »

Log in using your username and password. In the section "Account Details" there is a listing details that shows your overall over all stats. You may also click on the "Edit Listings" button in toolbar on the left of the page when you are signed in. In the middle at the top is a "display option"--click the "set the show stats" to the time period you want to review. Once this is set you'll see on each listing the stats of views and emails based on the time period you indicated.

18. Do I need to create an additional account if I want to advertise in another market? top »

Yes, each of our cities are separate websites similar to different newspapers in different cities.

19. Am I under any obligation to continue the service if I sign up now for free? top »

No. Remember we do not have any billing information for you nor do we store such information once you sign up and pay

20. Who can I contact for additional information? top »

Email us your request and we will make every effort to answer your questions in a timely fashion. We are a small staff and manage 100s of websites through the world so please be patient. We value your questions and input and we work hard every day to respond to our clients needs.

21. When and how will I be contacted when the site moves to a fee-based service? top »

We have designed the site to become the most comprehensive list of rentals in town. When it is getting a large volume of traffic, and the site is helping you rent your properties, we will consider charging an annual listing fee. When we move to fee-based, you will be contacted by phone or email at least one month prior to the change over. You can look at Madisonrent.com to see how we charge in one of our paid cities.

22. What types of advertising do you do? top »

Because our service is an online advertising service we focus first and foremost on our Search engine ranking, meaning the position that our website appears in search engines such as Google.com for relevant search words. High rankings on Google.com searches translate to more tenants viewing your listings on our site. Once we are on the front page of a Google search for "homes for rent" and "apartments for rent" in your city we tend to get far more traffic than our competitors. The reason for this is that we have far more listings in any given market. Compared with most other sites which show up in the top ten search results on Google, we have the most local listings. There are three main reasons for this 1) We are a local site with national presence focused on the local market. 2) We are easy to use--once you're on our site you see the listings immediately. 3) Our fees hands down beat our competitors. You will be amazed at how we stack up against both local and national competitors. On occasion we will advertise through a local flyer campaign to raise awareness among local property managers and renters alike about our service. We are still teaching people that the internet is a great resource to find rental properties. Though we are "local" we are in fact just as national as any of the other websites out there--everyone uses a computer, most everyone searches Google for their rental needs. We are a local website with a national presence and are therefore effective.

23. How are we different from other classifieds, online and newspaper? top »

a) Newsprint is expensive, permanent, and short lived. On our site you can edit, manage, and list your properties with us for a whole YEAR. b) Many sites act like newspaper classifieds where the listings are quickly removed after a short period of time. When this happens renters are not able to find property managers--or it becomes expense to keep running your listing. On our site many property managers list YEAR round and create waiting lists for when a unit becomes available. We do not want high weekly or monthly fees to prohibit you from advertising consistently and months in advance to a unit coming available You may also test rental rates at NO extra charge to you.

24. How many visitors can I expect? top »

We have individual websites in 100s of cities around the US. We get over 3 million page views on our websites every month! Each website draws different amount of traffic depending on how established it is. We find that our clients are happy with the results. We are effective in connecting renters to property owners.

25. My email address has changed and I cannot access my old account. top »

If the email address which you used to set up your account is no longer active, you will need to email us from your new email address with a specific request to make this change. We are careful with people's private information and take care not to give access to accounts from "scammers."

26. I have encountered a bug on your system what should I do? top »

Are we perfect? No. However, we are very committed to helping your rent your properties. Please let us know immediately if the system is not working for you. We are a small "cottage" business with just a few people managing 1000's of clients. This is good and it's bad. It keeps costs down for EVERYONE and there are times when bugs show up it takes a little longer to fix them. Also we take your suggestions seriously, please let us know what you think.

27. I want to talk with someone about your business and what you do---who do I contact? top »

Donald Whittier is the President and Andrew is next in line, email us. We are both very committed to suggestions, feedback, ideas, criticisms etc. We are here for you. We are the ones answering the emails so we love to hear from you.

28. I see you have a "rental referral service"---how do you decide what local realtors to work with? top »

We are selective about who we refer our clients to. If you are a realtor and would like to be apply for one of these agents drop us an email and we can discuss the options.

29. How do I upgrade my account? top »

Sign into your account. On the top left of your account information there's a "Payments" button/link. This will take you to the location where you can upgrade your account.

30. How do I avoid scams and fraud? top »

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules: 1). DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on our site. 2). NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is most likely a scammer. 3). FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later. 4). RENTAL VENTURES IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification" 5). NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.) 6). AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

31. Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts? top »

FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357) FTC online complaint form (www.ftc.gov) Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501 Internet Fraud Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov/) Non-emergency number for your local police department. If you suspect that a listing on our site may be part of a scam, please email us the details. Be sure to include the URL (or Listing ID number) in your message.

32. How to recognize scams? top »

Most scams involve one or more of the following:

inquiry from someone far away, often in another country Western Union, Money Gram, cashier's check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a "guarantee" inability or refusal to meet face-to-face before consumating transaction.

Be aware of any individual asking you to send them money, checks, bank wires, online payments, or other deposits before you have met them, and verified their legitimacy as a tenant or landlord.

33. Can you list some examples of scams? top »

1. distant person offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier's check. You receive an email (examples below) offering to buy your item, or rent your apartment, sight unseen. The cashier's check is offered as a deposit for a rental, or for just about anything else of value. The value of cashier's check often far exceeds the deposit or rent - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service. Banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases!

2. distant person offers to send you a money order and then have you wire money: this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience - the cashier's check is FAKE, sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not. Scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check. The deal often seems too good to be true.

3) A person posing as a landlord posts a fraudulent rental listing, which looks legitimate. When the tenants contacts them, this scam artist often claims they are not currently in the city where the rental is located, but that the tenant can send a deposit to guarantee the rental. The tenant is asked to send a cashiers check of other form of payment to an address that cannot be verified as a place of business of a legitimate property management company. Ask for references! Do not send payments to people whom you cannot verify in person or via a legitimate business address, phone, etc... as the actual manager of that property. Ask to see the lease, meet at the property to verify this person has access to it, and ask for business letterhead and verify the address and name associated with the post office or better business bureau.

34. Do you have rental resources in other markets?

Sure! PoncaCityRent.com is part of the HomeTownRent.com network - bringing the same high quality local focus that you've found here in Ponca City.

Here's a full list of all our local websites.