How to post a rental ad on Craigslist as a landlord

The steps to post the ad

1. Open the Craigslist site for the city where the unit is, not where you live. Renters search their own city site.
2. Choose "post", then the housing option and the category that fits: apartments and houses for rent, a room or shared space, or a sublet. A wrong category hides the ad from the people filtering for it.
3. Fill in the title, price, bedrooms, bathrooms, square feet, available date and the street or cross streets. Craigslist shows a map from what you give it, so decide how precise to be.
4. Add the description and the photos. Put the strongest photo first, the way you would on any listing site.
5. Choose how replies reach you. Craigslist can mask your email address with a relay address, which keeps your real inbox out of the ad.
6. Publish, then check the live ad from a phone. Most renters read it there.

Craigslist's fees and posting rules for housing differ by city and category, and it changes them. Read the posting page for your city before you start.

What to write so it works

A Craigslist ad is plain text in a long list of other ads, so facts win. Open with the size, the place and one real feature, then the rent, the deposit, the available date, the lease length, which utilities the tenant pays and the pet rule. Say how a renter asks to see it. See how to write an apartment listing for the full outline and listing titles that get clicks for the title.

Fair housing law covers an ad on Craigslist exactly as it covers any other notice. Under 42 U.S.C. 3604(c) a rental ad may not state a preference or limitation based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin (see the statute). Describe the home, never who should live there. See words to avoid.

Photos and how many

Use your own photos of the actual unit, taken in daylight, with every light on. Craigslist lets you add several images, and a listing with the kitchen, bathroom, each bedroom and the exterior answers most questions before a renter writes. Never copy photos from another listing, and never use photos of a different unit in the building without saying so. See what to shoot.

Scam replies to expect

Open listing sites attract two kinds of scam. In the first, a scammer copies your ad and reposts it at a lower rent with their own email, so strangers send deposits to the wrong person (see the hijacked listing response). In the second, a "renter" who cannot visit offers to pay by check or transfer and then asks you to send back an overpayment. The FTC describes both patterns on its rental listing scams page.

• Put your name or the property name in the ad and in your first reply, so a copy is easy to spot.
• Never ask for or accept a deposit before the renter has seen the unit and applied.
• Be wary of a reply that says the renter is out of the country or cannot view the unit but wants to rent now.
• Never send money back to anyone who overpaid by check. See the fake check overpayment scam.

Repost, track and take down

Craigslist ads expire and fall down the list as new ones arrive, so a unit that is not rented in a week or two may need a fresh post, with a changed title or a better lead photo rather than the same ad again. Reposting an identical ad over and over can be flagged. Delete the ad the day the unit is rented, because a stale ad brings calls you must answer and invites scams that use it.

To learn whether Craigslist is worth the effort, tag the link in each ad and count the replies that become showings. See UTM links to track inquiry sources.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping does not post to Craigslist for you. What it gives you is the content and the link: each published listing lives at doorkeeping.com/l/ followed by a short readable name, with photos, facts, an Apply button and a Schedule a showing form, and the Equal Housing Opportunity statement is on the page. Put that one link in your Craigslist ad. Title, description and pet notes are checked for fair housing wording when you save, and publishing through Claude or ChatGPT is an approval you accept yourself. See the connect page.

Sources

1. Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604 (Cornell Legal Information Institute), read Oct 31, 2026
2. HUD: Fair Housing Act overview, read Oct 31, 2026
3. FTC Consumer Advice: Rental listing scams, read Oct 31, 2026
4. DoorKeeping: Connect Claude or ChatGPT (steps and tools list), read Oct 31, 2026

Questions

Is Craigslist free for landlords?

It depends on the city and the category. Some housing posts are free and some carry a fee, and Craigslist changes this, so check the posting page for your city.

How do I keep my phone number and email off a Craigslist ad?

Use the relay email option when you post, and send renters to a showing request form or a separate business number instead of your personal one.

How often should I repost a rental on Craigslist?

When the ad has fallen out of sight and the unit is still open, repost with a changed title or lead photo. Delete the old post first so there is one live ad.

Can I say "no kids" or "professionals only" in the ad?

No. Those phrases state a preference based on a protected class and break the Fair Housing Act's advertising rule. State the facts of the home and your screening criteria instead.