SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- HotPads™, the leading map-based home and apartment rental search engine and a Zillow® (NASDAQ: Z) company, today announced it has redesigned its popular website and mobile apps to make the experience of searching for a rental faster and easier. With intuitive new features and tools, the HotPads app and search engine allow renters to find their next home in a snap.

HotPads' new design offers a robust and efficient search experience for renters, especially those in urban areas who are often under pressure to find a home to rent quickly. Focused on speed, HotPads is able to now surface even more information, faster, allowing prospective renters to view all available options in their selected neighborhood or city. New map graphics and larger images make it easier to identify the rental properties of interest. A scrolling home page, expanding search tool and quick links to the most popular cities make the entire search process faster to navigate.

New features were also added, including Rent Zestimates®, the ability to see the estimated market value for an individual home or apartment for rent, and Street View, the ability to view three-dimensional photography of a property's exterior and surrounding streets without leaving the HotPads site. HotPads also built a rich mobile web experience that acts just like the mobile app so that anyone, regardless of operating system or device, can easily search for their next place to live.

"Rental markets are moving faster than ever, and there is more competition for homes and apartments – especially in urban markets where HotPads' young, mobile and tech-savvy users tend to live," said Matt Corgan, HotPads co-founder and general manager. "HotPads has completely revitalized its site with this in mind, including a whole new look and feel, and a user-experience designed to help renters find a place to rent faster by giving them more information, and making that information easier to find."

Everyone searching for a home or apartment to rent on HotPads, on any device, can quickly and easily access all of the features the site offers to help them find their next home, including:

• Map-Based Search: Zoom into neighborhoods to see what's available, and where the nearest points of interest are.
• Rent Zestimates: See Zillow's estimated monthly rent prices for each property.
• Street View: Easily tour building exteriors and surrounding neighborhoods in three-dimensions without leaving the site.
• Verified Listings: Identify the qualified listings from the most reputable sources at-a-glance.
• One-Click Call: Contact the listing agent or owner directly by phone from the site when browsing from a mobile phone.
• Schools & School Boundaries: Search for a home within a particular school zone.
• Public Transportation: See which public transportation options, including subway and train stations, are near each listing.
• Walk Score® Data: Determine with one look just how walkable, bikeable, and accessible via public transit a home or apartment is.

HotPads is available on the Web and optimized for mobile at hotpads.com. HotPads also operates five popular mobile apps across iPhone®, iPad® and Android®. The HotPads iOS App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPad at http://bit.ly/1oRncPC. The free app for Andriod can be found at http://bit.ly/1kV4ndh.  

About HotPads™
HotPads is a leading map-based apartment and home rental search engine, and is a top destination for renters looking to find a home in urban areas. HotPads is an established and significant player in rentals for both consumers and professionals, and offers a robust website and five mobile apps across iPhone, iPad and Android. HotPads is part of the Zillow, Inc. portfolio of brands. The company is based in San Francisco.

Zillow and Zestimates are registered trademarks of Zillow, Inc.
iPhone and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.

Android is a registered trademark of Google, Inc.

(ZFIN)

SOURCE Zillow, Inc.