ForRentUniversity Property Scraper: Collect Student Housing Data Fast

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What Is ForRentUniversity?

ForRentUniversity is the leading online marketplace for student housing properties across the United States. It features thousands of active listings in college towns nationwide, from Austin to Boston, helping students and investors discover rental opportunities near universities. Manually collecting property data from multiple pages is tedious and error-prone — the ForRentUniversity Property Scraper automates extraction, delivering structured, analysis-ready datasets in minutes.

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Overview

The ForRentUniversity Property Scraper extracts comprehensive property listing data from ForRentUniversity search results pages, converting unstructured web content into clean, structured records. It is designed for:

• Real estate investors tracking student housing market trends and valuations
• Property managers monitoring competitor listings and rental rates
• Market researchers analyzing student housing supply across regions
• Aggregator platforms building housing search engines and comparison tools
• Data analysts conducting competitive pricing and occupancy studies

Key strengths include configurable scraping volume per URL, graceful handling of failed URLs, and access to 24+ property attributes including ratings, media metadata, and fee structures.

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Input Format

The scraper accepts a JSON configuration object:

{
  "urls": [
    "https://www.forrentuniversity.com/tx/austin-student-housing/page-2"
  ],
  "ignore_url_failures": true,
  "max_items_per_url": 200
}

Parameter	Type	Description
urls	Array	Property list page URLs from ForRentUniversity. Can include city pages, state pages, or filtered search results (e.g., ...austin-student-housing/page-2). Add one URL per line or paste multiple URLs in bulk.
max_items_per_url	Integer	Maximum number of properties to extract per URL (e.g., 200). Typical pages display 20-50 listings; set higher to ensure full capture across paginated results.
ignore_url_failures	Boolean	If true, the scraper continues running if some URLs fail. If false, it halts on the first error. Recommended: true for robust batch operations.

Pro tip: Use state-level URLs (e.g., /tx/) or city pages (e.g., /tx/austin-student-housing/) to capture regional markets. Add page-2, page-3, etc., to collect listings across multiple pages.

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Output Format

Sample output

{
  "is_profile": false,
  "site_id": "h2w6w83",
  "listing_key": "h2w6w83",
  "ad_level": "Diamond",
  "name": "Villages at East Riverside",
  "geography": {
    "street_address": "1301 Crossing Pl",
    "city_name": "Austin",
    "state_code": "TX",
    "zip_code": "78741",
    "latitude": 30.235969,
    "longitude": -97.711435
  },
  "blended_rating": 4,
  "last_updated": "2026-07-22T18:56:18.990Z",
  "leads": {
    "email": {
      "required": [],
      "optional": [],
      "is_on_demand": true
    },
    "phone": {
      "formatted": "(737) 377-1912",
      "url": "tel:+17373771912"
    }
  },
  "floor_plan_summary": {
    "square_feet": {
      "low": 1005,
      "high": 1443,
      "formatted": "1,005 - 1,443 sq. ft."
    },
    "bathrooms": {
      "low": 2,
      "high": 4,
      "formatted": "2 - 4 Baths"
    },
    "matching": {
      "beds": {
        "low": 2,
        "high": 4,
        "range": "2 - 4",
        "formatted": "2 - 4 Beds"
      },
      "price": {
        "low": 1154,
        "high": 1409,
        "formatted": "$1,154 - $1,409",
        "call_for_price": false,
        "base_rent_formatted": "$1,154 - $1,409"
      }
    },
    "grouped_pricings": [
      {
        "beds": "2 Beds",
        "price": "$1,154"
      },
      {
        "beds": "3 Beds",
        "price": "$1,399"
      },
      {
        "beds": "4 Beds",
        "price": "$1,409"
      }
    ],
    "has_per_bed_pricing": false
  },
  "media": {
    "main_photo": {
      "source": "https://images1.forrent.com/i2/Fk3nRbBvMpAkr1yvE_Hms-ptopFbtbhJIxPngp1UyIw/{options}/image.jpg",
      "caption": "Resort-Style Pool",
      "is_landscape": true
    },
    "image_options": {
      "1880x900": 112,
      "180x140": 104,
      "1400x720": 113,
      "2048x2048": 116,
      "200x_v": 119,
      "430x220": 118,
      "1024x1024": 114,
      "984x658": 102,
      "325x_v": 115,
      "984x558": 110,
      "337x206": 106,
      "1240x844": 111,
      "215x110": 105,
      "650x_v": 117
    },
    "images": [
      {
        "source": "https://images1.forrent.com/i2/Fk3nRbBvMpAkr1yvE_Hms-ptopFbtbhJIxPngp1UyIw/{options}/image.jpg",
        "caption": "Resort-Style Pool",
        "is_landscape": true
      }
    ]
  },
  "has_video": true,
  "has_tours": true,
  "image_count": 48,
  "profile_url": "/tx/austin/villages-at-east-riverside/h2w6w83",
  "seo_name": "Villages at East Riverside",
  "rating_stars": {
    "rating": 4
  },
  "property_type": "Apartment",
  "property_type_text": "1301 Crossing Pl, Austin, TX 78741",
  "site_texts": {
    "specials_badge": "1 Month Free"
  },
  "pmc_info": {
    "id": 98720091,
    "name": "Hilltop Residential"
  },
  "is_homes_listing": false,
  "is_multi_family": true,
  "is_monthly_fees_included_in_rent": false,
  "is_in_fee_disclosure_state": false,
  "is_direct_broker": false,
  "property_fee_list": [
    {
      "label": "Base Rent",
      "value": "$1,154 - $1,409"
    },
    {
      "label": "Required Monthly Fees",
      "value": "None"
    }
  ],
  "from_url": "https://www.forrentuniversity.com/tx/austin-student-housing/page-2"
}

Each property record contains 24 structured fields:

Identification & Metadata

Field	Meaning
Is Profile	Whether the listing is a full property profile (flag indicating profile type)
Site ID	Unique ForRentUniversity property identifier
Listing Key	Internal system key for the listing
Name	Property name as displayed (e.g., "The Palms Student Apartments")
SEO Name	URL-friendly version of the property name

Location & Geography

Field	Meaning
Geography	Location hierarchy (city, state, region). Useful for geographic filtering and analysis.
Profile URL	Direct link to the property's full profile page on ForRentUniversity

Rating & Performance

Field	Meaning
Blended Rating	Aggregate rating score combining resident reviews, amenities, and listing quality
Rating Stars	Star rating (typically 1-5 scale) displayed to prospective renters
Leads	Number of inquiries/leads generated by this listing (market demand indicator)
Last Updated	Date the property information was last modified (freshness indicator)

Media & Visual Content

Field	Meaning
Media	Metadata about images, videos, and tours associated with the listing
Has Video	Boolean flag: whether the property includes video tours or walkthroughs
Has Tours	Boolean flag: whether virtual or 3D tours are available
Image Count	Total number of photos uploaded for this property

Property Classification

Field	Meaning
Property Type	Internal classification code (e.g., apartment, house, dorm)
Property Type Text	Human-readable property type description
Is Homes Listing	Boolean: indicates if listed as individual homes vs. multi-unit complex
Is Multi Family	Boolean: indicates if the property is multi-family (apartments, complexes)

Amenities & Offerings

Field	Meaning
Floor Plan Summary	Description of available floor plans and unit configurations
Site Texts	Additional property descriptions, amenities list, and house rules
PMC Info	Property management company details and contact information

Pricing & Compliance

Field	Meaning
Is Monthly Fees Included In Rent	Boolean: clarifies whether listed rent includes all monthly fees or if additional charges apply
Is In Fee Disclosure State	Boolean: indicates if property is in a state requiring fee transparency disclosure
Property Fee List	Array of additional fees (e.g., utilities, parking, maintenance) charged separately from base rent

Business Model

Field	Meaning
Is Direct Broker	Boolean: indicates if the property is managed directly by the broker vs. through a third party
Ad Level	Listing prominence level (e.g., premium, standard, featured) — affects visibility in search results

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How to Use

1. Find property list URLs — Navigate to ForRentUniversity, search by city or state (e.g., Austin, TX student housing), and copy the page URL.
2. Add multiple pages — To capture all listings in a market, add page-2, page-3, etc., or use full city/state URLs.
3. Configure parameters — Set max_items_per_url to 200 (or higher) to ensure comprehensive capture. Enable ignore_url_failures.
4. Start the scraper — Run the actor and monitor progress in the logs.
5. Export and analyze — Download results as JSON, CSV, or Excel. Import into spreadsheets or databases for analysis.

Common use cases:

• Pagination: Add page URLs one-by-one or use a template URL with page parameters.
• Error handling: If a URL times out, the scraper skips it and continues (if ignore_url_failures: true).
• Rate limiting: Spread large scrapes across multiple runs to avoid overload.

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Use Cases & Business Value

• Market intelligence: Track rent trends, occupancy rates, and new supply by city and property type
• Investment research: Identify underperforming properties (low ratings, high turnover) and high-demand markets
• Pricing strategy: Benchmark rent, fees, and amenities against competitor properties
• Content aggregation: Feed property data into your own student housing search platform
• Data enrichment: Combine ForRentUniversity data with census data, university enrollment data, and transit info for deeper insights

The ForRentUniversity Property Scraper transforms weeks of manual research into hours, enabling data-driven decisions in student housing investment, management, and marketing.

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Conclusion

The ForRentUniversity Property Scraper is the go-to solution for extracting student housing market data at scale. With 24 detailed fields covering ratings, media, pricing, and property metadata, it delivers the insights needed to stay competitive in real estate investment and property management. Start scraping today and unlock actionable intelligence from America's largest student housing marketplace.