What Smart City Apartment Locating does

Smart City Apartment Locating (legal entity: Smart City Locating, Inc.) is a licensed apartment locating service founded in 2013 by CEO Cassie Brown in Austin, Texas. The company matches renters with personalized apartment options via a network of 300+ licensed local agents across nine U.S. markets: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, and Nashville. The service is offered free of charge to renters; Smart City is compensated by referral commissions paid by apartment communities and property management companies when a referred renter signs a lease.

The platform is built on a real estate brokerage foundation with an agent management system and city-specific landing pages for each operating market. Distribution relies on a sales-led, direct-to-consumer motion combining content marketing (educational blog), organic social media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn), SEO-optimized city landing pages, and partnerships with apartment communities. Beyond the core locating service, Smart City operates an add-on "Concierge" module that connects renters to preferred partners for utilities, internet, renters insurance, movers, cleaning, furniture/appliance rental, storage, and ESA letter services — providing exclusive discounts and a stickier post-lease experience.

The company operated as a bootstrapped, founder-owned business for over 13 years before completing its first outside capital raise in April 2026: a recapitalization with Austin-based Owner Resource Group (ORG), with existing management retaining significant ownership. Proceeds are earmarked for agent headcount growth, technology development, and entry into new U.S. geographies. Cumulative scale metrics cited by the company include 120,000+ renters served, 10,000+ five-star reviews, and an estimated 3.6 million hours of search time saved for renters.

Name

Smart City Apartment Locating

Legal name

Smart City Locating, Inc.

Website

https://smartcitylocating.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Smart City Apartment Locating is a licensed apartment locating service operating across 9 U.S. markets, matching renters with personalized apartment options via 300+ licensed local agents at no cost to renters, compensated through referral commissions from apartment communities and a post-lease concierge partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Apartment Locating Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Rental Brokerage & Tenant Placement (BPAJAAAF)

Keywords

• Apartment locating services
• Rental search assistance
• Residential leasing
• Moving concierge
• Real estate brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Referral Fees from Apartment Communities: Smart City Locating earns referral fees/commissions from apartment communities and property management companies when renters they refer sign leases. The service is free for renters - the company is compensated by the property owners/landlords.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Smart City Apartment Locating provides free apartment locating services for renters through 300+ licensed local agents across nine U.S. markets. Agents match renters with personalized apartment options based on location, budget, and lifestyle preferences. The company is compensated by referral fees paid by apartment communities and property management companies when renters sign leases.

Product overview

Smart City Apartment Locating operates as a unified apartment locator service that offers two interconnected offerings: the core apartment locating service (matching renters with personalized apartment options through licensed local agents at no cost) and the Smart City Concierge add-on module (providing discounted access to a network of preferred partners for post-move services including utilities, internet, insurance, movers, cleaning, and furniture rentals). The service operates across nine U.S. markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Smart City Apartment Locating Service A licensed apartment locating service that matches renters with personalized apartment options based on their needs, preferences, budget, and location requirements. The service is free for renters and connects them with licensed local agents across nine markets in five U.S. states.
• Smart City Concierge A free post-lease moving assistance service that connects renters with preferred partners for utilities setup, internet, renters insurance, pet insurance, moving services, cleaning services, handyman services, furniture/appliance rentals, and ESA letter services. Available across all operating markets with exclusive client discounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.6M hours saved searching for apartments
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BellhopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFull-service moving company available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Smart City clients receive 5% off with code SC5.
• College Hunks Hauling Junk & MovingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMoving services partner with the most 5-star reviews in the industry. Available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Clients get $25 off moving services and 10% off moving supplies.
• LemonademinorGTM or Marketing PartnerRenters and pet insurance provider recommended by Smart City. Available in all operating markets. Clients can bundle renters and car insurance for 10% discount.
• SpareFootminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStorage unit marketplace partner helping renters compare and reserve storage units. Available in all 9 Smart City markets.
• CORTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFurniture and appliance rental partner. Smart City clients get 50% off first month. Available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio.
• Therapy Animal HubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerESA letter evaluation service connecting renters with licensed clinicians. Available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Promo code SMARTCITY for $70 off.
• TidyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCleaning services partner available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. Code SMARTCITY1 for $10 off first booking.
• The Move PlaceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal moving company with over 70,000 moves completed. Available in Dallas and Fort Worth markets with $10 off hourly rate.
• Veterans Moving AmericaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDFW-based moving company with 100% veteran workforce. Available in Dallas and Fort Worth markets with 10% discount.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Apartment List: National online apartment matching platform with a network of local agents; the closest digital-and-human hybrid comparator to Smart City in the renter-tenant placement space.
• PadMapper: Apartment rental aggregator with map-based search; competes for the same renter lead flow that Smart City's agents convert to placements.
• HotPads: Map-based apartment search platform (owned by Zillow Group); competes directly with Smart City's city-specific landing pages for organic renter search demand.

Broad incumbents

• Redfin: Tech-enabled residential brokerage; while focused on home sales, its rental search and agent network create adjacent competitive pressure in shared real estate lead funnels.
• RentCafe (Yardi): Yardi's renter-facing portal used by thousands of property managers; competes by enabling operators to own the renter relationship end-to-end, potentially bypassing locator referrals.
• Apartments.com: CoStar-owned rental marketplace dominating apartment search SEO; competes with Smart City for renter acquisition and indirectly for property-owner marketing budgets.
• Zillow Rentals: Operates one of the largest U.S. rental marketplaces, competing for renter attention and lead flow; overlaps with Smart City's apartment search and lease-up funnel at massive scale.

Emerging players

• DoorLoop: Property management software platform with built-in listing syndication; competes indirectly by giving operators tools to generate and manage their own renter leads.
• Rentable: Multi-city apartment search platform with concierge-style renter support; comparable in combining online search with high-touch renter services, though at smaller scale.

Others

• Bellhops (Bellhop): Moving services partner of Smart City's concierge; a relevant ecosystem comparator illustrating how Smart City's concierge layer plugs into broader relocation services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smartcityapts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smartcityapartmentlocating
• Instagraminstagram.com/smartcityapts
• TikToktiktok.com/@smartcityapts?lang=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smart City Apartment Locating