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Property Managers

Post Your Locating Commission For Free

Locator referrals are no longer informal marketing arragements - they are regulated real estate transactions.

For decades, the apartment locating industry has been fragmented because each state has it’s own independent real estate laws. Apartment locating commissions have relied on verbally communicated information and informal processes rather than owner-posted, standardized written commission rates and policies. While this approach became common practice over time, it no longer aligns with modern real estate law, licensing requirements, or risk management standards.

There is a fundamental turning point for the apartment locating industry and it changes how locating services must operate nationwide. Effective 2025, all 50 states now require apartment locators to hold an active real estate license, which means locator referrals are no longer informal marketing arrangements—they are regulated real estate transactions. State licensing laws require that real estate compensation be in writing and issued by the party offering the commission. Apartment locating is unequivocally recognized as a regulated real estate activity. Written commissions, standardized processes, and nationwide transparency is now required.

Locators are legally prohibited from posting commission on a property’s behalf, so NAAL has taken the initiative to create a centralized locating commission database and offer it to the entire industry for free. NAAL intentionally designed the Commission Database to be simple, intuitive, and self-explanatory. No special training, approvals, or internal restructuring is required—posting or updating commission terms takes only a few minutes.

When commissions are clearly disclosed and policies are consistent, locator relationships become a reliable, compliant, and scalable source of qualified renters.

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Why Your Community Should Work With Locators

Locators pay all upfront costs to market your community, and you only pay a commission if the tenant moves in.

  1. Locators bring immediate access to active renter demand.
    Apartment locators maintain large, market-specific networks that include active apartment seekers, past clients, referral partners, marketing audiences, and inbound online leads—providing communities with exposure to renters who are ready to lease.
  2. Locators pre-qualify prospects before they reach your leasing office.
    Locators educate renters on pricing, availability, income requirements, fees, and application standards before tours occur, reducing unqualified traffic and making it easier for leasing teams to close qualified prospects.
  3. Locator referrals are 100% performance-based.
    Communities only pay a locator commission when a referral results in an executed lease and a confirmed move-in—there is no cost for exposure, inquiries, or unqualified leads.
  4. Locator commissions are a cost-effective acquisition channel.
    Even a 100% commission of one month’s rent is only 8% of the gross value of the lease (a 50% commission is only 4%) which is significantly less than online advertising and ILS marketing fees.
  5. Locators absorb all upfront marketing and lead-generation costs.
    The locator covers the cost of advertising, client acquisition, prospect qualification, and follow-up, shifting risk away from the apartment community.
  6. The long-term value of a locator referral extends beyond the first lease.
    While locators are paid only on the initial lease, residents often renew for multiple years, increasing the lifetime value of the referral without additional commission expense.

Benefits of Working With NAAL Members

Our members are committed to Ethical Standards and Professional Business Practices.

Code of Ethics

NAAL was the first organization to write a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for apartment locators. Neither the state licensing board or local board of realtors protects property managers from unethical apartment locators. By agreeing to work exclusively with NAAL locator members, our Code of Ethics reduces fraudulent billing practices, enforces state real estate laws as well as local, state, and national fair housing laws and regulations.

Vendor credentialing companies only verify W9’s; they DO NOT verify real estate licenses. Vendor compliance companies are not equipped to protect you from fraudulent locators and fraudulent invoices. To hold an active real estate license, a locator must pass a federal background check and submit fingerprints to the state licensing board every two years for as long as they have their license. Our membership committee verifies each locator member AND their broker hold an active real estate license.

If one of our locator members refers a tenant to your community, and they skip on their rent during the first 90 days and you have already paid the commission, the locator will refund the full commission, no questions asked. You will never receive a locating invoice from one of our members unless they are the primary procuring cause of the lease.

NAAL Professional Transaction Forms reduces confusion, eliminates missing information, and creates a clear paper trail that everyone recognizes and understands. This consistency makes it easier for property managers to quickly verify a lease and process commissions accurately. Standardized forms don’t just save time, they build trust, streamline workflows, and help ensure that each referral is handled efficiently.