How do I find out where my rental leads come from?

Record a source for every lead when it arrives, using a short fixed list, and ask "how did you hear about this unit?" in your first reply when the link does not tell you.

Which source is best for finding tenants?

It differs by town and unit. Count signed leases per source over several vacancies, not just inquiries, and repeat what produced leases.

Is asking how someone found me okay?

Yes. It is a neutral question about marketing, so ask it of every lead, and never use the answer to treat people differently.

Track Where Your Rental Leads Come From

Record one source for every rental lead the moment it arrives, from a short fixed list such as listing site, yard sign, referral or social post. Then, once a lease is signed, count leads and leases per source. The source that brings the most inquiries is often not the one that brings the most signed leases, and only the second count tells you where to spend your time.

Why bother with sources

Listing sites, signs, social posts and word of mouth all cost something, even if it is only your time. Tracking tells you which ones to repeat on the next vacancy, and which to skip. Without it you remember the last lead, not the pattern.

Make a short, fixed source list

Names must match every time, or one source splits into five. Pick a list and stick to it.

Listing site (name the site, such as Zillow or Zumper).
Your own website or listing page.
Yard sign or flyer.
Facebook or local group post.
Referral from a tenant, friend or neighbor.
Other, with a note.

If you use tracked links in your posts, each link can carry its source automatically. Where you cannot, add one question to your first reply or your showing form: "How did you hear about this unit?" It is a neutral question to ask of everyone.

Where to record it

A spreadsheet is enough. One row per lead, with columns for date, name, source, unit, last stage reached and result. The key is that the source is filled in when the lead is created, not weeks later.

Date	Lead	Source	Unit	Reached	Result
Jun 2	Lead A	Listing site	12 Oak	Toured	Not moving forward
Jun 3	Lead B	Yard sign	12 Oak	Lease signed	Signed
Jun 4	Lead C	Facebook group	12 Oak	Inquiry	No reply

The names and rows above are made up to show the layout.

Count leases, not just inquiries

After the unit rents, tally each source: leads, showings and signed leases. Then divide the cost, if any, by leases.

Example a made-up vacancy. The listing site produced 30 inquiries and 1 signed lease; the yard sign produced 6 inquiries and 1 signed lease; the Facebook post produced 10 inquiries and none. If the listing site charged $40 for the period, that is $40 per signed lease. The sign cost $15 to print, which is $15 per signed lease. Facebook cost nothing but brought no lease. You would repeat the sign and keep the listing, since each source's totals add up to 46 inquiries and 2 leases.

One vacancy is a small sample. Keep the numbers across several vacancies before you drop a source for good.

A fair housing note on sources

Where you advertise matters. Marketing only in places that reach one group of people can steer who applies, and advertising rules apply to every channel. See fair housing rules for rental ads and photos. The point of tracking sources is to find the channels that work, not to screen by where someone came from. A lead's source is never a reason to treat them differently.

Common mistakes when tracking sources

Three mistakes spoil the numbers. First, recording the source weeks later from memory, when the lead has blurred together with others. Second, letting names drift, so Zillow, zillow.com and Zillow listing become three sources. Third, stopping at inquiries: a source that sends many curious people but no applicants looks good on a count of leads and bad on a count of leases. Fix the first with a required source field, the second with a fixed list, and the third by counting signed leases as the final column.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping records a source on each lead when it comes in from your listing, and keeps it through to the lease. Ask Claude or ChatGPT: "Which source brought me the most signed leases this year?" and you get the count by source without building a sheet. See listings.

Sources

Questions

How do I find out where my rental leads come from?: Record a source for every lead when it arrives, using a short fixed list, and ask "how did you hear about this unit?" in your first reply when the link does not tell you.
Which source is best for finding tenants?: It differs by town and unit. Count signed leases per source over several vacancies, not just inquiries, and repeat what produced leases.
Is asking how someone found me okay?: Yes. It is a neutral question about marketing, so ask it of every lead, and never use the answer to treat people differently.