The Zillow Rentals iPad app is also available for free download in Apple’s App Store. Additionally, Zillow also has an app available for iPhone devices.

“Consumers are increasingly adopting tablets and are expecting to have the same tools at their disposal across devices,” said Katie Curnutte, director of communications at Zillow. “Zillow Rentals on iPad is a critical part of our strategy to allow customers to access rental information and tools in the format that works best for them, at home or on the go.

“Zillow has mobile and Web marketplaces for consumers and professionals at every stage of the homeownership life cycle – from renting a first apartment, to buying and financing a home and improving that home,” she said. “Depending on what stage a consumer is in, they may need different tools to help find what they need.

“Renters and buyers, for example, shop differently. Zillow’s core real estate apps are designed for the all-encompassing home shopper, while Zillow’s rental apps are designed specifically to address renters’ needs. Renters are faced with a high-turnover, competitive market, often viewing a large number of properties in shorter periods of time. Buyers, however, are making a major purchase decision with long-term considerations.”

Mobile rentals
The Zillow iPad app lets consumers begin their rental search via GPS, by drawing one or more search boundaries on the map or by entering a location.

The app takes advantage of the iPad’s large, visual screen by letting renters compare favorite home photos side by side, as well as the ability to view details about potential rentals as they navigate the map.

Through the iPad app, consumers can narrow down their rental search by time on the market, whether the home has been viewed and see if there is a pet policy.

The tablet’s bigger screen greats more of an optimized and tailored experience.

“Zillow Rentals apps provide tools that help renters find the newest listings hitting the market, and contact landlords anytime, anywhere,” Ms. Curnutte said. “Renter-friendly features include visually fading properties that have been previously viewed or contacted, the ability to compare favorite home photos and details side-by-side on a list or a map, and search results organized by time on market, ranging from same-day additions to homes listed in the past week.

“We are constantly striving to innovate and improve our products through innovative shopping tools, improving our services for professionals, and increasing our data quality,” she said. “Our marketing strategy depends on providing customers with tools they want to use.

“Overall, Zillow operates the most popular suite of real estate apps across all major platforms, with six dedicated apps for renters and rental professionals. We try to leverage this popularity of our other apps to introduce new additions to the Zillow Mobile family.”

Diving in
Zillow now operates six dedicated apps for renters and rental professionals, available across multiple platforms.

In October 2012, the company launched Zillow Rentals, a free marketplace and suite of tools for rental professionals, which includes listing distribution across the Zillow Rental Network, the leading rental network, comprising millions of shoppers on Zillow.com, Zillow Mobile, Yahoo Homes and HotPads.

Beginning in the second quarter, Zillow will be the exclusive provider of all rental listings for HGTV’s FrontDoor.

“It is clear to us that real estate is inherently mobile and a simply better experience when you’re able to access data and tools on-demand, whether you’re curbside of a house that you just drove past on the way to the store, or sitting at home scrolling through full screen images with the touch of your fingers,” Ms. Curnutte said.

“The mobile experience will continue to grow and be a bigger part of our business,” she said. “More than 50 percent of Zillow’s traffic comes from a mobile device; on weekends it’s 60 percent.

“Additionally, 202 million homes were viewed on Zillow from a mobile device in January – that’s 75 homes per second.”

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York