

Review my startup: PadLister - Apartment Listings with Online Applications - ericd
https://www.padlister.com/

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ericd
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-...](http://www.padlister.com/listings/6966.2-bedroom-2-bathroom-
apartment-at-519-W-Pratt-St-Baltimore-MD-21201-in-Baltimore-Inner-Harbor)

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

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tgrass
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.

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

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

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

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tgrass
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.

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ericd
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.

