block.a - Rental App 9+

I’m writing this review as I was pretty nervous about downloading this and using it having read some of the past reviews but two apartments I found in NYC required it to tour. I eventually did it and although I didn’t love having to upload photos of my license everything else was fine. I booked and attended a viewing which all went well. And you can see other places available, book on tours, get notified when more tours become available, contact agents etc.

I did two tours for apartments through this app. One was scheduled with a tenant and the other was a self guided tour. Seemed like a really cool idea but both went very badly.

First apartment, the tenants who were supposed to show me the unit didn’t answer their door and I had no way to contact them directly or even know who they were. The number for the real estate agent went to voicemail and their customer service gave me a very vague apology with no solution, so I left even though I made the trip all the way there for a scheduled viewing.

To be honest with my feelings, the self guided tour was a little sketchy, as a single woman just entering a random apartment building at night. The instructions for getting into the building were very poorly written and it took me a long time to get inside and find which apartment it was. I don’t really like this experience because you can’t ask questions to a real estate agent as you’re touring it on your own. Landlords and agencies are getting really lazy these days using this app to fill their apartments. It was a massive waste of time so I don’t think I’ll be using this app again.

Knock totally reduces the stressors of trying to find a new apartment. I was able to lock down a new lease using the app and it streamlined the entire process. The Knock team was responsive both through the app as well as over email anytime I had a question or concern.

It was nice having the luxury of viewing available listings on my own terms and time rather than having to sync up with a broker’s schedule for appointments. The app itself was also easy to use and I was able to get verified in minutes. In the remote working environment, the application and lease signing stage was super straightforward and I did not have to go through the hassle of scanning applicable documentation.

I highly recommend Knock to anyone who is on the rental market!