6 Ways Tech is Making Life Easier For Renters By Zumper September 29, 2017 By Zumper September 29, 2017 Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Jeanine Skowronski, senior editor of personal finance at PolicyGenius. Renting: It isn’t always easy. You’ve got to rely on your super for repairs, keep Fluffy from destroying the carpet and deal with noisy and/or nosy neighbors, among other things. But there are a to-dos technology can give you a real assist with. Here are six ways tech is making life easier for renters. Budgeting apps can keep you from blowing the rent There are plenty of solid budgeting apps that track your spending by category and flag when (and where) you’re about to overdo it. If you’re having trouble making rent, these apps can help you find and save more dollars. Some of our favorites include You Need a Budget (YNAB) and HomeBudget with Sync, which both cost about $5 a month. But there are also some solid free apps, like Mint, which also helps you monitor your credit. ePayment services make paying rent on time much easier Renting is one of the few transactions on the planet that still relies heavily on the old paper check. Either you’re paying your landlord with one or you’re paying your roommate with one so they can write their own check. Fortunately, technology can eliminate both of those pain points. Landlords are increasingly using electronic payment services like eRentPayment, RentMatic and PayPal to collect what tenants owe each month. Meanwhile, P-2-P apps like Venmo and Zelle let you digitally transfer money to friends or roomies via your smartphone. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. You can apply — and have your credit checked — in an instant Renting a new place is all about timing — meaning you don’t usually have a lot of it. You need to be out of your previous apartment by a set date, and, unless you’re in great financial shape, you won’t want to pay for a place until that lease expires. Apartment-hunting apps make it a whole lot easier to find new digs on your own timeline. Take Zumper here, for instance: It aggregates millions of listings and even lets you send a digital application (along with a copy of your credit report) to landlords using its Instant Apply feature. You don’t even need to talk to a person to get renters insurance I know. I work for a digital insurance brokerage, so, of course, I’m going to bring up renters insurance, but that doesn’t change the fact that (a) it’s really, really good to have some and (b) it’s really, really easy to shop for a policy online. Renters insurance, in case you didn’t know, covers the cost of replacing your stuff if it gets damaged, stolen or destroyed. It also covers personal liability if someone gets injured in your apartment. You can find out more about what renters insurance does (and doesn’t) cover here. You no longer have to inventory your stuff via abacus If you’re getting renters insurance, you’ll need to inventory your stuff. That’ll help you figure out how much coverage you need and provide proof of ownership, should you ever file a claim. Now, chances are most people have at least moved to Excel when it comes to cataloging their stuff. But, beyond that, there are apps out there that make creating a home inventory so much easier. Encircle, for one, helps you put a price tag on your precious wares by pulling in information from retailers and Google. You can find a mover on the fly When my fiance and I moved out of our apartment this past May, we — no, you know what? — he grossly underestimated how much stuff we actually had and how long it would take to get it out of one place and into another. But many hands make light work and, thanks to service app TaskRabbit, we didn’t have to worry about overstaying our lease. TaskRabbit isn’t the only game in town: Concierge app Moved also refers service providers, while Unpakt lets you compare rates across participating moving companies. Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest In this articleGuest Post Read Next Easy Ways to Declutter Your Apartment By Zumper September 28, 2017 Here Are The 10 Most Luxurious Apartments For Rent in NYC By Ally Greer September 27, 2017 These are the 5 Best Pet-Friendly Apartments In NYC Right Now By Ally Greer September 27, 2017 Moving in: How to make your first apartment feel like home By Zumper September 27, 2017 SF Bay Area Metro Report: September 2017 By Crystal Chen September 25, 2017 San Diego Metro Report: September 2017 By Crystal Chen September 25, 2017 Phoenix Metro Report: September 2017 By Crystal Chen September 25, 2017 Dallas Neighborhood Prices Mapped (Fall 2017) By Crystal Chen September 25, 2017 Here Are the Top 5 Pet-Friendly Apartments For Rent In Dallas... 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