Resources
Free tools for renters. Start with Rent Check — see how what you pay compares with current asking rents in your ZIP code — then find official guides to your rights as a renter.
Rent Check
Compare your rent with the current median asking rent for rentals in your home's ZIP code. Free for ForRenters members. ForRenters never stores your rent.
How Rent Check works
Your ZIP code's market
Your rent is compared with the median asking rent of current rental listings in your home's ZIP code, from RentCast's market data.
Like for like where possible
Rentals with your bedroom count first, then your type of home, then all rentals in the ZIP code — always one group, and only one with at least five current listings.
Current data only
A figure is shown only while RentCast's data for the ZIP code was updated within the last 30 days.
No guessing
When there is not enough current market data, you are told so instead of being shown a number we cannot stand behind.
Rent Check covers California and Hawaii while ForRenters is in its launch markets. It compares your rent with asking rents — it is not an appraisal, and not legal or financial advice.
Guides for renters
Official sources for renters in California and Hawaii, and a checklist for moving in and out.
General information, not legal advice.
Tenant rights
Landlord-tenant issuesCalifornia
The California Attorney General's overview of tenant protections, including statewide limits on rent increases and just-cause eviction rules.
oag.ca.gov(opens in a new tab)
A guide to tenants' and landlords' rightsCalifornia
The California Department of Real Estate's guide to residential tenants' and landlords' rights and responsibilities, in English and Spanish.
dre.ca.gov(opens in a new tab)
The eviction process for tenantsCalifornia
The California courts' step-by-step guide for tenants who receive an eviction notice, with the forms each step needs.
selfhelp.courts.ca.gov(opens in a new tab)
Landlord-Tenant Information CenterHawaii
A free information service of the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection on Hawaii's Residential Landlord-Tenant Code, with the code and the state's landlord-tenant handbook.
cca.hawaii.gov(opens in a new tab)
Landlord-tenant cases and eviction mediationHawaii
The Hawaii State Judiciary's page on landlord-tenant cases, including the mediation a tenant can ask for before an eviction for unpaid rent, and District Court forms.
courts.state.hi.us(opens in a new tab)
Court self-help centersHawaii
Hawaii State Judiciary self-help centers and Access to Justice Rooms, where volunteer attorneys give limited legal help with landlord-tenant cases to people without a lawyer.
courts.state.hi.us(opens in a new tab)
Getting help with a landlord dispute
USAGov's guide to where renters can turn when a dispute with a landlord cannot be settled directly: state tenant agencies, HUD complaint lines and legal aid.
usa.gov(opens in a new tab)
Fair housing
Fair housing rights and obligations
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's summary of the federal laws against housing discrimination and the characteristics they protect.
hud.gov(opens in a new tab)
Report housing discrimination to HUD
How to report housing discrimination to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and what information to include.
hud.gov(opens in a new tab)
Housing discrimination in CaliforniaCalifornia
The California Civil Rights Department on the state's fair housing laws: what discrimination looks like, the protected characteristics, and reasonable accommodations.
calcivilrights.ca.gov(opens in a new tab)
File a discrimination complaint in CaliforniaCalifornia
How to file a discrimination complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, and how it investigates and resolves one.
calcivilrights.ca.gov(opens in a new tab)
Hawaii Civil Rights CommissionHawaii
The Hawaii state agency that enforces the law against discrimination in housing and investigates complaints.
labor.hawaii.gov(opens in a new tab)
Moving checklist
Read the whole lease before you sign
Ask for a copy of everything you sign, and get any promises about repairs, parking or pets written into the lease.
Record the condition on move-in day
Walk through every room, note any damage in writing, and take dated photos or video before you unpack.
Keep proof of every payment
Get a receipt for the deposit, the first month's rent and any fees, and pay in a way that leaves a record.
Set up utilities and renters insurance
Ask which utilities you pay for, and have them and your renters insurance start on the day you move in.
Give written notice before you move out
Check your lease for how much notice it requires, and keep a copy of the notice you give.
Ask for a walk-through before you leave
An inspection before your last day gives you time to fix anything the landlord points out.
Photograph the place and return every key
Take dated photos of each room once it is clean, and get a receipt when you hand back the keys.
Leave a forwarding address in writing
Your landlord needs it to send back your deposit and any list of deductions. Update your address with the post office too.
Security deposits
Guide to security deposits in CaliforniaCalifornia
The California courts on when a landlord must return a deposit, what can be deducted from it, and what to do if it is not returned.
selfhelp.courts.ca.gov(opens in a new tab)
Know Your Rights: Security DepositsCalifornia
The California Attorney General's consumer alert on security deposits: how much can be charged, what it can be used for, and when it must be returned.
oag.ca.gov · PDF(opens in a new tab)
Security deposits in HawaiiHawaii
The Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection's summary of the landlord-tenant code, including the limit on deposits and the deadline for returning one.
cca.hawaii.gov(opens in a new tab)
Maintenance & repairs
Know Your Rights: HabitabilityCalifornia
The California Attorney General's consumer alert on a renter's right to a safe, livable home and to have health and safety problems repaired.
oag.ca.gov · PDF(opens in a new tab)
Repairs in HawaiiHawaii
The Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection's summary of when a landlord must start emergency and other repairs, and what a tenant can do if they do not.
cca.hawaii.gov(opens in a new tab)