Realtor.com to expand rental listings — using Zillow data 

The top two home search portals have traded competition for cooperation — at least in the realm of rentals. 

Zillow and Realtor.com have formed a new partnership designed to help bring more eyeballs to Zillow's rental listings while expanding Realtor.com's apartment offerings.

What's new? Zillow announced today that not only will it begin syndicating apartment listings to Realtor.com, it will be the exclusive provider of multifamily rental listings — defined as properties with 25 units or more — to its main competitor in the home search space.

Realtor.com currently sources rental listings from a variety of providers, and the addition of Zillow's listings "will complement Realtor.com's current rental content," the announcement stated. As of the end of February, there were nearly 39,000 multifamily properties with listings on Zillow, according to company data. 

With the new partnership, those apartment listings will also be displayed on Realtor.com "later this spring."

What did Realtor.com and Zillow and say? Both companies applauded the partnership while also talking up their respective home search technology.

Realtor.com CEO Damian Eales said the agreement will benefit visitors to its platform — and provide an additional source of revenue for the company.

"This new agreement allows us to deliver significant value to Realtor.com users, and in partnership with Zillow, realize a financial benefit for Realtor.com. Consumers will have access to an enhanced rental experience while property management companies and landlords will be able to tap into a market-leading combined audience across both the Realtor.com and Zillow platforms," Eales said in the announcement. 

"On average, 70 million people each month turn to Realtor.com to find their next place to live, and we remain committed to delivering the best possible experience for renters, buyers and sellers at every stage of their real estate journey," he said of the site's traffic. 

Zillow Co-Founder and CEO Rich Barton said the deal will help the company's rental partners "reach even more renters and propel their business forward" by boosting their visibility across both sites. 

Other partnerships? This isn't the first time Zillow has partnered with a competitor in the portal space. Last summer, the company announced an agreement to cross-post non-MLS new construction listings on Redfin. The move was framed as an opportunity to help builders extend their reach while giving consumers more housing options, particularly as existing home inventory remains incredibly tight.