NovaRentCheck
Rent honestly.

About NovaRentCheck.
Rent honestly.

Built by an Arlington renter who couldn't get a straight answer at renewal.

My lease came up for renewal in Arlington and the new number was higher. I had no idea whether it was fair.

Finding what buildings were asking was easy, because listing sites are full of it. What I couldn't find was what my neighbors were actually paying, or whether the building down the street was offering two months free to anyone signing a new lease. Neither of those is published anywhere.

So I started collecting them. NovaRentCheck now tracks 128 buildings across Northern Virginia and DC. For each one it records the listed rent and any concession on offer to new tenants, alongside what renters there report paying. I wanted to know if my renewal number was fair, and what leaving would cost.

Leasing offices track each other's offers every week, because an empty unit costs more than a discount. That information decides what you're quoted, and nobody was showing it to the person paying. This site checks the same thing, every morning, and publishes it.

What we're building

NovaRentCheck compares what apartments in Northern Virginia and DC list for with what renters there report paying. Add your rent and you'll see where it falls among other renters in your neighborhood.

Renter reports
82
submitted across NoVA and DC
Neighborhoods
18
with community data
Top area
23
reports from Ballston, the most of any area
Updated as new reports come in.
How the data works

NovaRentCheck pulls from two sources. Building data comes from publicly listed rent ranges and unit details, plus whatever concessions each property is currently advertising. Community reports come from renters who share what they pay. A listing shows what a building is asking. Subtract the concession and you have what a new lease costs. A renter report shows what someone signed for. Side by side, those let you check a renewal offer against the alternative, which neither a listing site nor a renewal letter will show you.

Every figure is sourced, and we keep listed rents and renter reports separate.
Your privacy

When you submit your rent, we store your neighborhood, bedroom count, and monthly rent. We don't collect your name, email, or IP address, and we don't sell or share what you submit.

No nameNo emailNo IP addressNever soldNever shared
Frequently asked questions
Is my data really anonymous?
Yes. There's no account, name, or email tied to your submission. We store your neighborhood, bedroom count, and rent. None of that identifies you.
Where does the building data come from?
Publicly listed rent ranges and unit details, plus the concessions each building is advertising. That gives you the market baseline, and renter reports show what people signed for. How it's sourced and checked
Why should I trust these numbers?
Because we show you where every number comes from. Listed rents are what buildings advertise. Renter reports are what people actually signed for. We keep them separate rather than blending them into one figure, so you can weigh them yourself.
What's a concession, and why does it matter?
A concession is something a building offers to get you to sign a new lease, like a month free or a waived fee. That means the advertised rent is rarely what a new tenant actually pays. Renewals almost never come with one, so an offer to stay and a listing down the street aren't comparable until you adjust for the concession.
Can my landlord see this?
No. Reports are anonymous, with no account, name, or email attached. Your landlord can't see what you submitted, and we can't trace it back to you either.
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