Know what’s behind the listing.
Paste any DMV apartment address. We pull the public records the listing won’t show you, and the questions to ask before you sign.
Map data © OpenStreetMap · Tiles © CARTO
Why RentSift
Before you tour, check the address.
Use listing apps to find places. Use RentSift before you apply, tour, or sign.
Start with the ad
Use the listing to decide whether it is worth a look.
Photos, amenities, floor plans, and asking rent help you build the shortlist.
Check the address
Use RentSift to see what public records add.
The report brings together complaint history, housing-code records, licensing, rent rules, utility estimates, internet options, and flood context.
Bring questions
Tour with the missing pieces ready.
Ask about monthly add-ons, unit internet wiring, open repairs, deposits, renewal rules, and anything the report could not verify from public data.
How it works
From address to file in under 10 seconds.
Paste any DMV address
Works with an address from any listing, email, or leasing-office page. No account, no email.
We pull the public record
Housing-code violations, 311 complaints, licensing, FEMA flood, rent-control cap, utility rates — from government APIs only.
Walk in with the receipts
A checklist of questions to ask the landlord, plus source-linked flags you can cite at the leasing office.
Coverage
Honest about where the records run deep.
DC and Montgomery County are our deepest proof markets. Prince George’s, Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun have useful checks labeled as growing coverage — not pretending every county is the same.
See methodologyRent data at 1,700+ DMV rent rowsRead the data journal
Common questions
What renters ask before they pull a file.
How do I get started?
Enter an address in DC, Montgomery County, Prince George's County, Fairfax County, Arlington, or Loudoun County and get a full report instantly — no account required.
What makes RentSift different?
Listing sites help you find apartments. RentSift is the pre-lease risk file: address-level complaints, inspection flags, licensing, rent-control context, and a practical checklist of what to ask before applying or signing.
Where does the data come from?
Government databases only: Open Data DC, county Socrata portals, Census Bureau, EIA, NCES, and jurisdiction-specific crime and code enforcement APIs. Every data point links back to its source.
How current is the data?
RentSift uses the most recent rows each source returns and labels the source basis in the report. Utility rates are monthly from the EIA, school quality data uses the current loaded state datasets, and rent-price pages use the latest tracked snapshots.
How do I check pest complaints at a DC apartment?
Enter the address on RentSift. The property-condition rows show 311 complaints filed at or near that address, including pest, rodent, trash, and housing maintenance issues, sourced from Open Data DC.
What utility costs should I expect renting in the DMV?
RentSift shows a utility budget range where the public sources support it, using EIA electric and gas rates plus Census utility-cost and utility-inclusion context. Treat it as a source-backed estimate to discuss with the landlord, not a bill prediction.
How do I find crime data near a rental?
RentSift pulls reported crime incidents near the searched address and labels the radius, source, and incident mix where local data supports it. The report shows source-linked context instead of asking you to trust a proprietary safety rating.
What should I check before signing a lease in DC?
Run an address report to check building complaints, nearby crime context, utility costs, school assignments, walkability, permits, and flood risk. DC rent-control caps changed on May 1, 2026: OTA lists 4.1% for most rent-controlled tenants and 2.1% for qualifying elderly or disability tenants.
How does rent stabilization work in Washington DC?
Many non-exempt DC rental units are subject to rent stabilization. Per the DC Office of the Tenant Advocate, the rent-control year that began May 1, 2026 caps most covered rent increases at 4.1%, with a 2.1% cap for qualifying elderly or disability tenants.
What’s the average rent for a 1-bedroom in DC?
Use the Rent Prices page for current tracked asking rents, building-level price history, and HUD Fair Market Rent comparisons. A static FAQ can go stale quickly, so RentSift keeps rent figures in the live rent views rather than hardcoding one median here.
Does RentSift cover Arlington or Alexandria, VA?
Arlington, VA has growing coverage, including tracked asking rents, address-level service requests from Arlington's DataHub v2, APS school attendance zones, walkability, transit, demographics, amenities, utilities, and eviction-risk context. Alexandria is not a proof market yet; reports may run with area context, but we do not present it as Fairfax-level coverage.
How is safety data shown?
Safety data is shown as nearby public-record context: reported incident counts, against-people versus property context where available, source radius, and source links. It is not a claim that a building is safe or unsafe.
Can I see sex offender data near an address?
Where an official registry loader returns count data for the jurisdiction, RentSift shows aggregate nearby counts only. It does not display names or personal information, and it links to the official registry source when available.
How do I compare apartment buildings in the DMV?
The Rent Prices page lets you search tracked buildings, filter by jurisdiction, and sort by rent where current snapshots are available. Building pages show price history, trend charts, and comparison to jurisdiction medians and HUD Fair Market Rents.
Don’t sign a lease blind.
The file takes ten seconds. The lease is a year.
Free · No signup · DMV