Rental due diligence for DC, Maryland & Virginia
Know your apartment before you sign the lease.
Building complaints, crime, utility costs, school zones, and more — pulled from government records for any DC-area address.
What we check
What a SiftReport reveals
Building health
Pest complaints, code violations, and maintenance issues at your exact address — not just the neighborhood.
Safety
Crime incidents within half a mile, weighted by distance so what's closest matters most.
True cost
Your actual utility providers and projected monthly bills — not national averages.
Livability
Walk score, school assignments, grocery access, and commute patterns for your specific address.
Every data point links to its source. See full methodology →
DMV Rent Prices
We track asking rents at 1,300+ buildings across the DMV
Unlike our public data signals, our rent trends are built from proprietary daily tracking of actual asking rents across major management companies.
Coverage
Honest by jurisdiction
Coverage is strongest in Washington, DC. Montgomery County and Prince George's County have full crime and complaint data. Fairfax, Arlington, and Loudoun have partial coverage that is still being expanded.
Washington, DC
Best coverage todayCrime incidents, 311 complaints, sex offender registry, amenities, and utility rates.
480 buildings tracked · Median 1BR $1,987
Montgomery County, MD
Best coverage todayCrime incidents, housing code violations with address-level queries, amenity and utility context.
268 buildings tracked · Median 1BR $1,737
Prince George's County, MD
Best coverage todayCrime incidents, code enforcement complaints with spatial queries, amenity and utility context.
219 buildings tracked · Median 1BR $1,448
Fairfax County, VA
Partial todayCrime data, code compliance with address-level lookup, amenity and utility context.
222 buildings tracked · Median 1BR $1,951
Arlington, VA
Partial todayCrime data, code compliance with address-level lookup, amenity and utility context.
Arlington-area via Fairfax search · Median 1BR $2,350
Loudoun County, VA
Partial todayCode enforcement complaints with spatial queries, amenity and utility context.
115 buildings tracked · Median 1BR $1,950
Latest from the data
What the numbers say about DMV neighborhoods
Every rodent and roach complaint filed through DC 311 in the past 12 months, mapped by neighborhood density.
Distance-weighted police data from the past 12 months, ranked by neighborhood with specific score ranges.
Current EIA rates, monthly cost estimates by apartment size, and what Census data says about included utilities.
Head-to-head comparison across rents, crime, schools, walkability, and tenant protections using real data.
Walk Score data, transit access, and grocery proximity ranked for car-free living across DC, MD & VA.
Common questions
How it works
How do I get started?
Enter any DC, Maryland, or Virginia address and get a full report instantly — no account required.
What makes RentSift different?
RentSift focuses on address-level 311 complaint data (pest, noise, trash), live utility rates with your actual provider, and assigned school zones. Every data point shows its source and when it was last checked, so you can verify it yourself.
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?
Crime and 311 complaint data updates within days of publication. Utility rates are monthly from the EIA. School zone boundaries are from the 2024-2025 school year. Rent prices are scraped daily.
How do I check pest complaints at a DC apartment?
Enter the address on RentSift. The Building Quality section shows all 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 estimates monthly electric and gas costs for any address using current EIA rates and Census housing data. Typical DC apartments run $200-$280/mo. The report shows your specific utility providers (Pepco, Washington Gas, Dominion, etc.).
How do I find crime data near a rental?
RentSift pulls violent and property crime incidents within 0.5 miles of any address, weighted by distance. Closer incidents count more. Data comes directly from local law enforcement APIs, updated within days.
What should I check before signing a lease in DC?
Run a SiftReport to check building complaints, nearby crime, utility costs, school assignments, walkability, and flood risk. DC has rent stabilization: the OTA cap is 4.8% through April 30, 2026, then 4.1% from May 1, 2026 — the report includes tenant rights info for your jurisdiction.
How does rent stabilization work in Washington DC?
Most DC rental units built before 1976 are rent-controlled. Per the DC Office of Tenant Affairs, the general cap is 4.8% through April 30, 2026, and 4.1% starting May 1, 2026. Landlords must give 60 days written notice. RentSift reports include jurisdiction-specific tenant rights and renewal tips.
What’s the average rent for a 1-bedroom in DC?
RentSift tracks asking rents at 1,300+ buildings daily. Current DC median 1BR rent is around $1,950/mo. Check specific buildings on the Rent Prices page, which includes price history charts and HUD Fair Market Rent comparisons.
Does RentSift cover Arlington or Alexandria, VA?
RentSift currently has full coverage for DC, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Fairfax County, and Loudoun County. Arlington and Alexandria have partial coverage with walkability, utilities, schools, and grocery data, but limited crime and 311 data.
How are safety scores calculated?
Safety scores use a distance-weighted formula: crimes within 0.1 miles count at full weight, 0.1-0.25 miles at 50%, and 0.25-0.5 miles at 20%. Violent crimes count 3x more than property crimes. The score uses logarithmic scaling clamped to 15-96.
Can I see sex offender data near an address?
Yes. RentSift shows the count of registered sex offenders within 0.25 and 0.5 miles of any address. Only aggregate counts are displayed — no names or personal information. A link to the official registry is provided for full details.
How do I compare apartment buildings in the DMV?
The Rent Prices page lets you search, filter by jurisdiction, and sort 1,300+ buildings by rent. Each building page shows price history, trend charts, and comparison to jurisdiction medians and HUD Fair Market Rents.