Many Americans often look for roommates to help them handle the monthly cost of living in expensive cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.
Zillow wants to help with this process.
On Thursday, the real-estate marketplace company announced that users can now search for individual room listings.
“We know finding the right place to call home isn’t one-size-fits-all,” Michael Sherman, vice president of Zillow Rentals, said in a statement.
“By introducing room listings, we’re crafting a robust marketplace of options that truly reflects the varied needs of renters. We’re committed to providing a platform where searching for a room, a house, an apartment, or anything in between is as easy as clicking a button.”
The Zillow app now features a “Room” filter under the “Home Type” drop-down menu. Users can search for single-family rentals, condominiums, or townhomes based on their budget, lifestyle and preferred location.
The feature can also be used by homeowners or landlords who are looking to rent a room
In 2019, the U.S. had 25.5 million shared households, which accounted for 19.8% of all households nationwide, according to U.S. Census data. Researchers found that about 81.2 million adults, or about one-third of all adults aged 18 or older, lived in shared households in 2019.
Since then, housing has become more expensive. A Zillow report found that the median rent price in the U.S. is $1,957 and that renters would need to make $79,264 to afford rent comfortably.
The median rent for apartments in popular California cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego ranges from $2,138 to $2,682, according to Zillow.