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RentWiki.com announced today the launch of the first online rental site that lets apartment hunters vet not only the property but the neighboring community as well. By integrating social media and networking features with property listings, RentWiki.com allows existing renters to contribute content about their neighborhoods, 5a8 as well as interact with potential neighbors before they commit.

“It’s hard to get a feel for the day-to-day life and character of a neighborhood from such standard sources as chambers of commerce, property listings, random blogs or basic apartment listing sites,” said Jamie Gallo, CEO, RentWiki.com. “RentWiki.com gives an insider’s look at potential areas of residence and a platform to network with the people living there, making it faster and easier than ever to find the right place to live.”

RentWiki.com was designed after six years of research to deliver what people have been looking for but unable to find through existing online rental services. The site offers an unprecedented, interactive look at daily life at the neighborhood level in a wiki format via locally contributed content, content widgets, and other social networking tools. In addition to wiki content, RentWiki.com includes neighborhood reviews, pros and cons, and renter recommendations. Unlike other Internet sites that focus solely on apartment features, RentWiki.com helps people find a home and neighborhood that fit their personal style, taste and financial needs by seeing what people who actually live there have to say about the area’s:

• Neighbors – what do the local residents think of the area?

• Social scene – bars, clubs, restaurants

• Value – how do prices measure up to quality of life?

• Transportation/parking

• Unique rental process ‘ins and outs’

• Pet friendliness/unfriendliness

• Entertainment/recreation

• Recommended streets/areas

• Essentials – groceries, gyms, banks, etc.

• Family information – schools, community centers and houses of worship

• And more categories as users create new and relevant topics

RentWiki.com content is screened by the company and its site users. Malicious or inappropriate content is removed. In addition, all renter leads sent to an apartment community are reviewed and validated as legitimate leads.