Choose how Rentably reaches you — email, text message, or app notifications. Reply from anywhere and it lands back in the conversation, with your number kept private.
The fastest way to lose a rental — or a great tenant — is a message that sat unread for two days. Renters apply to several places at once; landlords move on to the next applicant. Speed wins on both sides.
That's why messaging on Rentably doesn't assume you live inside our app. You choose the channel — email, text message, or app notifications — and every conversation reaches you there.
One inbox for everything rental
Every conversation on Rentably is tied to a listing, so nothing gets lost in a generic chat pile. Your messages are sorted into three lanes:
- Inquiries — new renters asking about your listings (or your questions to landlords)
- Tenancy — conversations with your current landlord or tenants
- Team — internal chat for property-management teams
Messages arrive in real time, with the listing right there for context — no "sorry, which property is this about?"
Choose how we reach you
Head to Settings → Notifications and flip on whichever channels fit your life:
- Email — application updates, messages, and account notices in your inbox
- Text message — a quick SMS the moment something needs you (verified to your phone, so no one else can claim your number)
- Push notifications — real-time alerts in the Rentably mobile app
- Browser notifications — desktop alerts if you keep Rentably open on a computer
Turn on more than one and pick a primary channel — that's where the "something just happened" nudge goes first. And there's a safety net: if your chosen channel can't reach you (say, push is on but your phone's offline), the notification falls back to email so nothing slips through.
Reply from anywhere — it all lands in the conversation
Here's the part that saves the most time: you don't have to open the app to respond. Reply directly to the text message or email, and your answer lands right back in the Rentably conversation, in the right thread, visible to the other person instantly.
A landlord mowing the lawn can answer "Is it still available?" from their texts. A renter can reply to an email between meetings. The conversation history stays complete either way.
Your phone number stays private
Texts don't come from — or go to — anyone's personal number. Rentably routes SMS through its own numbers, so landlords and renters can text back and forth without ever exchanging real phone numbers. You get the speed of texting with none of the "now a stranger has my cell" downside. If a conversation goes nowhere, it ends there — nobody can text you outside the platform.
Set it up in under a minute
- Open Settings → Notifications
- Flip on the channels you want (verify your phone for text messages)
- Pick your primary channel
- Done — every inquiry, application update, and viewing confirmation now finds you
Whether you're a renter chasing your next place or a landlord who wants inquiries answered before the competition wakes up: browse rentals or list your property, and let the messages come to you.