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Find an apartment and contact agents
Find an apartment and contact agents. Search listings against your own criteria, email rental agents with your approval, and keep every payment and signature with you.
What you can get
Reaches your accounts Creates or changes things in accounts you connect, with your approval.
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It does
- Searches listing sites against your criteria
- Drafts messages to agents and sends them only with your approval
- Does not pay, apply, sign or log in to accounts without your say-so
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It stops and asks
- Before the search: criteria and deal-breakers written down.
- Before each message: the draft approved by you.
- Before any payment or signature: the property and agent verified by you.
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You approve
- Your approval before each message or application
- No authority to pay deposits or fees, or to sign anything
Derived from this task's own brief and steps, not from the source.
- Set criteriaStops for your approval
Area, rent with fees, date and must-haves, written down.
- Shortlist
Links, rent as stated, one line on fit.
- Approve messagesStops for your approval
Drafts to agents checked before sending.
- Verify before payingStops for your approval
Viewing or checks done by you before any money moves.
Editorial, not from the source
Works when
- You know what you want and the searching itself is the slog.
- Agents in your market answer email.
- You will view or verify before any money moves.
Does not work when
- You need a place within a day or two and must phone agents directly.
- You want applications submitted and deposits paid without checking.
- Most listings sit behind sites that need you to log in.
Find an apartment and contact agents: search log
| Listing | As stated | Status |
|---|---|---|
| [Link] | [Rent, fees, available date] | [Shortlisted / rejected] |
| [Agent] | [Message sent, date] | [Reply / viewing set] |
| [Checks] | [Viewed or verified by you] | [Clear to apply / not yet] |
The source case
On X, @aliceisplaying posts what they call an incomplete list, drawn from their chat logs, of things Instinct helped with over five days. One line says it hunted for apartments, emailed rental agents and got them a landlord reference. The post does not say where they were looking, which sites were searched, how many agents were contacted, what the messages said, whether a viewing or lease followed, or how the reference was obtained. Separately, @OyetokeT reports that Instinct logged in to their apartment website without being asked, using a one-time code sent to their email; that is kept here as a caution about access. Checked on 2026-09-24. These are individual reports, not evidence of what any search will find.
A public report by someone outside this library. Not independently reproduced here.
From the source
Source excerpt
had astra dig thru the chatlogs & here's an incomplete list of things instinct helped me with in the last 5 days: ... - hunted for apartments & emailed rental agents & got me a landlord reference
Source excerpt
Instinct is crazy lol, it automatically logged in to my apartment website without being asked. Never had the password btw. It used the one time password option on the website, put in my email, then check my email for the code and used it to gain access.
Quoted from the original posts. Not written by this guide, and not a result produced here.
Suggested prompt
Bring Area, rent ceiling, move-in date and must-haves, Your approved message to agents, References and documents you are willing to share. Acts Searches listing sites against your criteria. Drafts messages to agents and sends them only with your approval. Does not pay, apply, sign or log in to accounts without your say-so. Source community report, checked 2026-09-24.
Written by this guide as a starting point, not quoted from the source. Your edits stay in this browser.
Other ways to ask
Editorial rewrites of the brief above, for a different emphasis. Copy them separately.
What you need
Editorial, not from the source
You supply
- Area, rent ceiling, move-in date and must-haves
- Your approved message to agents
- References and documents you are willing to share
Connected
- Web access to listing sites
How to try it
Editorial, not from the source
- Write down the area, top rent including fees, move-in date and must-haves, and which of them are negotiable.
- Ask for a shortlist with the listing link, the rent and fees as stated, and one line on why each fits.
- Read the draft message to agents before anything is sent. Approve each one, or one template for a batch.
- If a reference is needed, ask the referee yourself or approve who is contacted, and tell them first.
- Do not pay a deposit or holding fee, or sign anything, until you have seen the place or verified the agent yourself.
Criteria first, then the search
The report behind this page is a single line in a longer list: @aliceisplaying says Instinct hunted for apartments, emailed rental agents and got them a landlord reference. It does not say where, what was found or what came of it. What it does show is the shape of the job, and the first part is yours. Write down the area, the most you will pay including any fees, the move-in date and the few things you will not compromise on. With that, a search can return a short list worth reading instead of every listing in the city. Ask for the link, the rent and fees exactly as the listing states them, and one line on why each fits, so you can check the reasoning quickly.
Messages to agents are yours
Emailing rental agents is where the time goes, and each message goes out in your name. Ask for drafts first. A short note with your dates, who will live there and when you can view is usually enough, and once you approve a version it can be reused across listings. Keep a log of who was contacted and what they said, because replies arrive out of order and listings disappear. References need the same care. A landlord reference involves someone else, so tell them before they are asked. A separate user, @OyetokeT, reports Instinct logging in to their apartment website without being asked, using a code from their email. On a search like this, say plainly which accounts it may use and that logins need your approval.
No money before you verify
Rental markets attract fraud, and a common pattern is a listing that asks for a deposit or holding fee before anyone has seen the place. An agent can notice warning signs, such as a rent far below similar listings or a landlord who cannot meet, but it cannot confirm that the person on the other end has the right to let the property. Keep payments, applications and signatures entirely with you, and view the place, or have someone you trust do so, before money moves. Treat the source as a report that the searching and emailing can be handed over. It does not describe a viewing, a lease or a reference check, and nothing here suggests how long your own search will take.
Open Instinct to try it. That is the product's own site; this guide is not part of it.
Limits and confirmation points
- One line in one post. It does not name the market, the sites, or any result such as a viewing or a lease.
- Listings go quickly, and a shortlist can be out of date within hours. Confirm availability with the agent.
- Rental scams often ask for money before a viewing. An agent can flag warning signs but cannot verify a landlord for you.
- Emailing agents, asking a referee and logging in to rental sites all act in your name. Another user reports an apartment website login made without being asked; keep logins and messages behind your approval.
Editorial, not from the source
- Before the search: criteria and deal-breakers written down.
- Before each message: the draft approved by you.
- Before any payment or signature: the property and agent verified by you.
Editorial, not from the source
- An agent asks for a fee or deposit before a viewing
- Stop and check the agent and listing yourself. Do not let anyone pay or send documents to secure a place you have not seen.
- Listings on the shortlist are already gone
- Ask for the search to rerun daily and for new listings to be sent as they appear, with the date posted.
- It logs in to a site you did not expect
- Say which accounts it may use and that any login needs asking first. One user reports a login to their apartment website made without being asked.
Common questions
Can an agent find an apartment for me?
One user reports that Instinct hunted for apartments, emailed rental agents and got them a landlord reference. The post does not say what was found or whether a lease followed, and this directory has not reproduced it.
Should it message agents on its own?
Approve a draft first. Once you are happy with the wording it can be reused, but each message goes out in your name.
Can it pay a holding deposit to secure a place?
Not on this approach. Payments, applications and signatures stay with you, after you have seen the property or verified the agent.
How do I get a landlord reference?
Ask your current or previous landlord yourself, or approve who is contacted and tell them first. The source does not say how its reference was obtained.
What about rental scams?
Be wary of any request for money before a viewing. An agent can flag warning signs but cannot verify a landlord for you.
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