Your Craigslist rental listing should help someone decide whether to book a showing. Give the rent and other costs, show the actual home, and make it easy to reply. You can do this without sharing your personal phone number or asking for private papers by email.
Once your ad goes live, you still need to answer questions, check each application, and watch for copies of your ad. These do’s and don’ts take you from the first draft to the next steps.
Updated October 8, 2026.
Do: Choose the right local site and check the fee
Start on the Craigslist site for the area where your property sits. Choose the housing category that fits your rental. Craigslist’s help pages walk you through the text, map and images. Check the map before you post; a wrong pin can send renters to another neighborhood.
Do not assume every rental ad is free. On October 8, 2026, Craigslist’s official fee page lists a $5 charge for apartment postings in Boston, Chicago and New York City. It also lists a $5 charge for office and commercial postings in the United States. Fees depend on the category and location and can change. Check the amount shown in the posting process before paying.
Use the preview to catch errors before the ad goes live. Check the price, move-in date, reply settings and images as a renter would. Save a copy of the text so your ads on other sites can match.
Do: Explain the home and its costs plainly
Write a title around the facts renters search for: bedroom count, neighborhood and a useful feature such as assigned parking or in-unit laundry. Avoid all-caps claims and strings of nearby city names. Your ad should answer basic questions before someone takes time off to visit.
- Give the bedrooms, bathrooms, floor area if known, and whether this is a whole home or a room. Label an estimated size as an estimate.
- State the monthly rent, deposit, any lawful application charge, and other required charges. Separate recurring costs from one-time costs.
- Explain who pays for water, gas, power and trash, plus any parking or storage charges.
- List the move-in date, lease term, laundry setup, parking spaces and pet policy.
- Describe access honestly, including stairs, the floor the unit is on, and whether an elevator serves it.
This list does not give you the right to charge a fee. Check state and local rules before you set fees or deposits. If a renter must pay a charge, say so plainly.
Use plain words rather than short forms renters may not know. Describe a shared laundry room as shared; do not let photos suggest a washer belongs to the unit. If you need help with the asking rent, Utopia’s rental estimate calculator can help you start that discussion.
Do: Use clear, current photos of the actual unit
Photograph the home after cleaning and before posting. A phone camera can work well with daylight, a clean lens and steady framing. Show the main living area, kitchen, bedrooms and bathroom, then any private outdoor space or included parking.
Choose images that explain the layout. Several views of the same corner add less than one clear image of a room you have missed. Keep walls and door frames straight. Avoid wide-angle effects that make rooms look much larger. Utopia’s guide to real estate photos covers this stage in more detail.
Use photos of the unit you are offering. If an image shows a shared space, explain that in the ad. Leave out private papers, family photos, access codes and visible keys. A photo should help someone understand the rental without exposing the current tenant’s private life.
Don’t: Describe your preferred kind of renter
Describe the property rather than the person you hope will live there. Under 24 CFR 100.75, housing advertisements must not indicate a preference or limitation based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin. The rule covers words and images, as well as written and oral statements.
For a standard rental ad, remove phrases such as “no children” or “Christian tenants preferred”. You can describe a two-bedroom apartment with a separate dining room without defining an ideal household. Describe nearby parks and transit stops as features anyone can assess.
Take the same care with your replies and what you say at showings. A neutral ad followed by a biased message still creates a problem. State and local rules may go further. Have someone qualified review your rental criteria before you post.
Do: Offer a reply route without exposing personal contact details
You need a working way to respond to renters. You do not need to publish your personal phone number. Craigslist says free postings must use CL mail relay. This tool hides your personal email address behind a randomly created address. Check the inbox that receives those replies.
A separate rental inbox can help you keep track of replies. Check its display name and email signature, too. Craigslist explains that the sender’s “real name” field stays visible. Contact details in the message body pass through unchanged. The relay does not hide every part of an email.
If you want calls or texts, you can publish a separate business number. Treat it as public and say whether you take calls, texts or both. Keep your personal number out of the ad if you prefer to arrange calls after the first relay exchange.
Craigslist may also ask you to verify a phone number while you post. This is a separate step: Craigslist says the number used for that check does not appear in the ad. It does not support internet-based VoIP numbers for this check. Enter a code only in the official posting process. Never send it to someone replying to your listing.
Don’t: Collect sensitive screening documents through casual email
Keep the first exchange simple: answer questions and arrange a showing. Do not ask a stranger to send a Social Security number, bank login or copy of their ID through a Craigslist reply. Renters are warned to be wary of such requests.
When someone is ready to apply, explain who manages the home and how to check that the application site is genuine. Choose a screening service with clear privacy rules and controls over who can see private files. Ask only for what you need for lawful screening. An online form is not secure just because it is online. No service can promise that data will never be exposed.
Utopia’s tenant screening overview explains where screening fits in the leasing process. Advertising creates inquiries; screening is a separate decision that needs its own checks.
Do: Verify references and review reports carefully
Write down lawful screening criteria and use them for each person who applies. Check what they supply rather than taking every document or reference at face value. Where possible, check a former landlord’s or employer’s contact details through a separate source. Give people a way to explain gaps or details that do not match.
A rent ledger may help explain past payments, but it cannot tell you for sure how someone will pay in the future. Credit and background reports can also contain errors. Check that the report is for the right person. Review what it means before you decide.
If a consumer report helps lead you to reject an applicant, the FTC says you must give an adverse action notice. That notice explains the applicant’s rights. A report-based demand for a co-signer or a higher deposit can also trigger this duty. Follow the notice requirements and local screening rules. You remain responsible for your decision when a screening company advises you.
Don’t: Ignore copied ads or suspicious replies
The FTC’s rental-scam guidance, updated in June 2026, describes scammers copying real photos and ad text, then replacing the owner’s contact details. A convincing listing may be stolen from a real owner. Search your property’s address while your ad is live and compare any copies you find.
If someone is posing as you, save the URL and screenshots, then report it to the ad site. Tell people who have contacted you how to check the real listing. They should be able to find a business contact without relying on the copied ad. The FTC recommends reporting rental scams to local law enforcement and the FTC.
Do not treat a tour as proof that someone controls the home. The FTC warns that scammers can exploit self-guided tours. Keep access codes out of public ads and have a clear process for arranging viewings.
Owners can receive phishing messages, too. These try to steal private details. Be wary of links asking you to log in, files you did not request, and requests for phone codes. Open your Craigslist account directly rather than through an unexpected message. The mail relay helps protect an address; it does not prove the sender’s claims.
Do: Maintain the listing and compare advertising channels
Update the ad when the rent, move-in date or showing plans change. Remove it when the home is no longer for rent. Craigslist bans misleading content, keyword spam, overposting, cross-posting and nonlocal content. Posting the same vacancy over and over across nearby cities can conflict with those rules.
Use Craigslist’s own renewal options. Its help page says free postings can move to the top through renewal every 48–72 hours. Paid postings use a separate reposting process, and a paid repost requires another payment. Check the available option on your account rather than creating duplicates.
You can also use other rental sites that serve your area. Compare their current terms, reach and the time needed to manage replies. Keep the costs and move-in date the same in every ad. Track replies, completed showings and applications so you can judge which site helps with this vacancy.
If you are comparing managers, ask who writes the ads, answers replies and hosts showings. Utopia’s marketing and recruitment guide develops those questions. The broader guide to hiring a rental property manager covers the next stage of that decision.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to put my phone number in a Craigslist rental ad?
No. You can use CL mail relay for inquiries without publishing a personal phone number. Craigslist may separately require phone verification during posting, but says that verification number is not displayed on the ad.
Are Craigslist rental listings always free?
No. As checked on October 8, 2026, Craigslist lists a $5 apartment-posting fee in Boston, Chicago and New York City. It also lists a $5 office and commercial posting fee in the United States. Check your location and category during posting because fees can change.
Does using mail relay prevent rental scams?
No. Mail relay hides your personal email address, but does not verify a sender or protect information you include in a message. Check unexpected requests independently and move sensitive application information to a verified screening process.
This article provides general information, not legal advice. Advertising, screening, fees and deposit requirements depend on the property’s location and circumstances.
Sources
Sources checked October 8, 2026.
- Craigslist: Creating a posting — local site selection, category, map and preview.
- Craigslist: Paid posting fees — current categories, charges and fee-change warning.
- Craigslist: Prohibited content — misleading ads, keyword spam and posting restrictions.
- Craigslist: Email contact information — mail relay requirement for free postings.
- Craigslist: CL mail relay — randomized addresses and visible sender details.
- Craigslist: Phone and text contact — optional public phone contact settings.
- Craigslist: Verifying by phone — private verification numbers, VoIP restriction and code requests.
- Craigslist: Renewing a free posting — renewal timing.
- Craigslist: Reposting a paid posting — payment required for paid reposts.
- Craigslist: Phishing — suspicious links, attachments and code requests.
- FTC: Rental listing scams — June 2026 guidance on copied listings, tours, identity theft and reporting.
- FTC: Using consumer reports — landlord responsibilities and adverse action notices.
- 24 CFR 100.75: Discriminatory advertisements, statements and notices — federal housing advertising restrictions.
