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How to write a rental listing with ChatGPT or Claude, and check it for fair housing problems

DoorKeeping team

3 min read

Give the assistant the facts of the unit (size, rent, features, rules, dates) and ask it to describe the home, not the person who should live there. Then check the result: remove any phrase about who would fit, replace vague claims with measurable facts, and confirm every number against your lease. AI writes fast, and you are still the one responsible for what the listing says.

Start with facts, not adjectives

The model writes better from a fact sheet than from a request to "make it sound great." Collect: address or neighborhood, bedrooms and bathrooms, square feet, rent, deposit, available date, lease length, included utilities, appliances, parking, laundry, pet rules, and the distance to anything real, such as a bus stop or a grocery store. Leave out anything you cannot prove.

The prompt

Try: "Write a rental listing from these facts. Describe the home and its features only. Do not say who the home is ideal for, perfect for or suited to. Do not mention any protected class under the Fair Housing Act. Do not mention the type of neighbors. Use only the facts I gave you and add none. Include a title under 60 characters and a description under 150 words." Paste the fact sheet below it.

Example a made-up fact sheet says 2 bedroom, 1 bath, 850 square feet, $1,650 a month, available December 1, washer and dryer hookups, one assigned parking space, no pets over 40 pounds. The assistant returns a title and 120 words that repeat those facts. The owner checks each number and publishes.

The check to run on every draft

  1. Search for "perfect for", "ideal for", "great for", "families", "singles", "professionals", "students", "couples", "quiet", "mature" and "walking distance". The words describe people or ability, not the unit. See words to avoid for the reasons.
  2. Check for anything about religion, a church nearby, or the type of neighborhood residents. Describing a place, a school or a park is fine when it is factual and neutral. Describing who lives there is not.
  3. Check for statements about children, age or ability, such as "no kids", "adult building" or "not wheelchair friendly".
  4. Check every number and date against your lease and your records.
  5. Check that you are not saying "no Section 8" or similar. Source of income is protected in many states and cities, and HUD voucher tenants are a real market. See listing to voucher tenants.

Under 42 U.S.C. 3604(c), it is unlawful to publish a rental notice or ad that states a preference or limitation based on a protected class (see the statute). That applies to the listing whoever, or whatever, wrote it.

Photos and the rest of the page

Fair housing applies to images too. Keep people out of photos where you can, and show the rooms. See fair housing, ads, photos and placement. Include the Equal Housing Opportunity logo or statement where your listing site expects it.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping fills a listing from the unit, its last lease and the property, and its AI drafts the description. Every listing text passes a fair housing check before it is saved: phrases such as "ideal for" or "perfect for", words naming protected classes and "no Section 8" are refused. The public page carries the Equal Housing Opportunity statement, an Apply button and a form to ask for a showing. Publishing is an approval you accept yourself, so you read the final text first. In Claude or ChatGPT you can ask to see your listings and to publish one.

Sources

  1. Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604 (Cornell Legal Information Institute), read Oct 30, 2026
  2. HUD: Fair Housing Act overview, read Oct 30, 2026
  3. DoorKeeping: Connect Claude or ChatGPT (steps and tools list), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Can I use ChatGPT to write a rental listing?
Yes. Give it facts, tell it to describe the home and not the person, then check the draft for fair housing problems and wrong numbers.
What phrases should I remove from an AI listing?
Anything saying who the home is ideal or perfect for, and references to families, age, religion, ability or the type of neighbors.
Is the landlord responsible for what the AI writes?
Yes. The rule on rental ads applies to what is published, no matter who wrote it.
Should the listing say anything about Section 8?
Do not say "no Section 8". Source of income is protected in many places. Say what your income rule is, applied the same way to everyone.

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