StreetEasy hikes rental listing fees, forces manual entry

Starting on Jan. 1, 2020, rental listing fees will cost $6 per day and the platform will no longer accept listing feeds

The current fee for rental listings is $4.50 per day. (Credit: iStock)
The current fee for rental listings is $4.50 per day. (Credit: iStock)

StreetEasy’s already working on making its 2020 resolutions a reality.

As of Jan. 1, 2020, the listings platform will begin charging agents $6 per day for rental listings and require that all agents manually enter their listing data.

The new pricing and entry format was released to agents Tuesday afternoon and a representative for the company, which is owned by listings giant Zillow Group, said via email the double-barrelled announcement was coincidental.

“The value of the rental network continues to grow and we’re adjusting prices to reflect that,” the spokesperson wrote about the listing fee hike.

It’s the latest in a string of price increases StreetEasy has rolled out this year.

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The current fee for rental listings is $4.50 per day. That price when into effect on New Years’ Day 2019 and represented a $1.50 hike over the initial listing fee of $3, which debuted in summer 2017. Last year, agents and brokerage heads flew into a rage over the fee increases, calling it a “disgusting” move.

The mandatory manual entry is part of a wider push that StreetEasy says is meant to ensure clean data.

“Feeds cause delays and errors to your listings, and guaranteeing better data integrity is our priority,” read the company’s Tuesday email to agents. It also directed agents to use its recently launched app, Agent Tools, to enter listings.

In September, StreetEasy’s effort to verify listing data triggered concern among at least three brokerages that the listings platform was trying to steal clients. Within the month, StreetEasy also quietly informed agents that it would be taking a 35 percent cut of commissions earned off a lead generated by its “Experts” program.

Write to Erin Hudson at ekh@therealdeal.com