Perch
Perch is a Texas-based apartment locating service connecting renters with apartments in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio through licensed real estate agents and a proprietary database. The service is free to renters; Perch earns referral commissions from partner apartment communities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Perch does
Perch is a Texas-based apartment locating service that connects renters with available apartments in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Operating as a licensed Texas real estate brokerage through two affiliated entities — Perch Apartment Locating LLC and Perch Real Estate LLC — the company employs local licensed agents who, in a five-step process (connect, database deep-dive, review results, tour scheduling, lease support), match customers with suitable properties. The proprietary technology layer is an internal apartment search database containing thousands of units across partnered properties, providing agents real-time availability, pricing, and property details not easily assembled by individual renters. Perch works with 600+ apartment communities in Austin and 400+ in San Antonio, with parallel coverage in Dallas and Houston.
The company was founded in 1987 and claims to have originated the apartment locating service category. In February 2023 it consolidated five regional brands (Apartment Experts, Apartments Now!, Apartment Specialists, A+ Apartment Locators, and ATX Apartment Locators) under the unified Perch identity, creating the largest family of apartment locators in Texas. Perch publicly reports cumulative metrics of 250,000+ customers served and $380M+ saved on leases over its 40-year history. An affiliated Perch Real Estate brokerage allows agents to extend beyond locating into buyer and seller representation, and the Refer & Earn program provides $50 gift card incentives for customer referrals.
The business model is an affiliate/referral revenue structure: the service is free to renters, and Perch earns commissions from apartment communities and property management companies (typically equal to one month's rent) when a referred customer signs a lease. The company has no disclosed external investors, no mobile app, no public API, and operates entirely within Texas, with revenues coupled to rental-market volume in the four covered metros.
Perch firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Perch
- Legal name
- Perch Apartment Locating LLC & Perch Real Estate LLC
- Website
- https://perchagents.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Perch is a Texas-based apartment locating service connecting renters with apartments in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio through licensed real estate agents and a proprietary database. The service is free to renters; Perch earns referral commissions from partner apartment communities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Perch industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Apartment Locating Services
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation (BPAJALAJ)
Keywords
Where Perch is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Perch business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Apartment Community Referral Commissions: Perch earns commissions from apartment communities and property management companies when a referred customer signs a lease. Commission amounts are typically equal to one month's rent. The service is free for renters; costs are absorbed by participating properties as a marketing expense.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Apartment Locating Service |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Perch product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Perch provides free apartment locating services in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio by matching renters with licensed local real estate agents who use a proprietary database of thousands of units to identify suitable properties, schedule tours, and assist with lease signing. The service is free to renters; Perch is compensated via referral commissions from apartment communities when leases are signed.
Product overview
Perch operates as a free apartment locating service for renters in Texas markets (Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio). The core offering is Perch Apartment Locating, where licensed real estate agents use a proprietary database with thousands of apartment listings to match renters with suitable properties based on their preferences, budget, and timeline. The service follows a 5-step process: Connect, Database Deep-Dive, Review Results, Tours, and Lease Signing. An affiliated brand, Perch Real Estate, allows agents to expand beyond apartment locating to work with buyers and sellers. A Refer & Earn program incentivizes customer referrals with gift cards. All services are free to renters, with Perch compensated through commissions from partner properties.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Perch Apartment Locating Free apartment locating service that matches renters in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio with licensed local real estate agents who use a proprietary database to identify suitable apartments, schedule tours, and assist through lease signing.
- Perch Real Estate Licensed Texas real estate brokerage affiliated with Perch Apartment Locating that allows agents to expand beyond apartment locating to serve buyers and sellers across residential real estate transactions.
Companies that use Perch
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Perch technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Perch partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Apartment Communities and Property Management CompaniescorePerch works with hundreds of apartment communities and property management companies across Austin (600+ properties) and San Antonio (400+ properties). These partners compensate Perch via referral commissions when customers sign leases, similar to a referral fee structure. This is the primary revenue-generating relationship for the business.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Perch competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Redfin: National residential real estate brokerage with growing rental and partner-agent services; competes in Texas metros where Perch operates, offering an integrated buyer/seller/renter platform.
- Apartments.com: CoStar-owned national apartment marketplace offering comprehensive rental listings, search, and lead-generation tools to renters and properties, directly competing with Perch for renter acquisition and property marketing dollars.
- Zillow: National real estate and rental platform providing self-service apartment search, virtual tours, and renter applications; its scale and traffic pose a disintermediation risk to traditional apartment locators like Perch.
- Apartment List: National online rental marketplace aggregating apartment inventory across major U.S. metros including Texas, offering renters self-service search that competes with human locator services for renter attention.
- HotPads: Zillow-owned map-based rental search platform covering major U.S. metros including Texas cities, providing renter self-service that competes with human-led locating services.
- Zumper: National rental marketplace focused on apartments and houses, offering renters self-service search and properties direct lead delivery, comparable to Perch in serving the renter-to-property connection use case.
Direct peers
- Moveforfree: Texas-based free apartment locating service connecting renters with properties across multiple Texas metros using licensed agents, directly comparable to Perch's value proposition and Texas footprint.
- Apartment Home Living: Texas-based apartment locating and search platform serving renters in major Texas cities, with overlapping free locator services and property referral relationships similar to Perch.
- UMoveFree: Houston-focused free apartment locating service matching renters with properties in the Texas market, mirroring Perch's service model, target customer, and commission-based revenue structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Perch social profiles
Digital presencePerch financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Perch leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Perch funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Perch M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Perch
What does Perch do?
Perch provides free apartment locating services in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio by matching renters with licensed local real estate agents who use a proprietary database of thousands of units to identify suitable properties, schedule tours, and assist with lease signing. The service is free to renters; Perch is compensated via referral commissions from apartment communities when leases are signed.
Is Perch a public or private company?
Perch is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Perch founded?
Perch was founded in 1987. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Perch based?
Perch is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does Perch make money?
One revenue line is on record: apartment Community Referral Commissions.
Who are Perch's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Redfin, Apartments.com, Zillow, Apartment List, HotPads and Zumper. Direct peers are Moveforfree, Apartment Home Living and UMoveFree.
Does Perch have an API?
No public API is recorded for Perch.
What industry is Perch in?
Perch's product category is Apartment Locating Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJALAJ, Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation. Its SIC code is 6531.