How We Make Money
StayRentals is a free resource. We believe everyone deserves access to clear, reliable rental market data regardless of their budget. To keep the site free, we earn revenue through affiliate partnerships.
Affiliate Partnerships
When you click certain links on our site (for example, links to apartment listing platforms, moving services, or renter insurance providers), you may be directed to a partner's website. If you sign up for or purchase a service through one of these links, we may receive a referral fee at no additional cost to you.
Affiliate links on StayRentals are clearly identified and routed through our /go/ path. These links carry the rel="sponsored noopener" attribute as required by search engine guidelines.
Who We Partner With
We name our partners rather than describing them in general terms. As of July 2026 the only active paid partnership on the site is with Lemonade, a renters insurance provider. We are paid when a reader requests a quote through our link. We do not sell insurance, we do not receive your application, and we are not paid more if you buy a larger policy.
Revenue Does Not Affect Rankings
Our affiliate revenue has no influence on:
- How cities are ranked or compared on our site.
- Which data we display or how we present it.
- The content of our guides, glossary entries, or editorial articles.
- Calculator results or affordability estimates.
City rankings, affordability scores, and data presentations are determined entirely by government data from HUD, Census, and BLS. We use a separate editorial ranking system that is independent of our affiliate revenue tiers.
Affiliate Disclosure on Pages
On any page that contains affiliate links, you will see a disclosure notice above the first affiliate call-to-action. This notice informs you that the page contains affiliate links and explains that we may earn a commission if you use them.
Other Revenue Sources
In addition to affiliate partnerships, we may display advertising on certain pages. Any advertising is clearly distinguishable from editorial content.
Questions
If you have questions about how we earn revenue or how it relates to our content, please visit our contact page.