Fed up with L.A.'s housing market, renters are turning to savvy apartment scouts for help

An L.A.-based filmmaker received an urgent text from a friend apartment hunting in Los Feliz. While eating sushi, she found a 1920s studio with Art Deco tile, natural light, storage, and a view of Griffith Observatory for $1,900. She toured it immediately, sent a detailed video tour, and her friend applied and signed the lease within days. After realizing she enjoyed apartment hunting more than most people, she helped other friends and posted apartment tours on TikTok. She then launched LA Apartment Scout to match clients with historic, characterful homes within budget. The work is done by apartment scouts who are not licensed real estate agents, but tour units, create social content, and sometimes work directly with clients.

"“Just saw another place that was awful.” Scanlon's best friend, who was moving back to L.A. from Texas, had been apartment hunting for over a month and her moving deadline was creeping up. In between bites of salmon nigiri, Scanlon began scrolling through apartment listings on her phone and came across a 1920s studio apartment in Los Feliz that she knew her best friend would swoon over."

"“I sent it to her and was like 'This is fabulous,'” she says. “I'm going to tour it immediately.” Scanlon, an L.A.-based filmmaker who also works at a nonprofit, hopped into her car to see the rental, which had Art Deco tile, beautiful natural light, lots of storage and a stunning view of Griffith Observatory - a “rare find” for $1,900 in the sought-after neighborhood, Scanlon says. She sent a detailed video tour to her best friend, who applied instantly and signed the lease a few days later."

"On the drive home, Scanlon, 33, had a light bulb moment: “What I love doing is something most people find totally overwhelming and exhausting,” she says. She could turn her knack for apartment hunting into something more. So after finding apartments for several other friends (not to mention a dreamy 1927 storybook apartment in Echo Park for herself) and building a following on TikTok by posting apartment tours, Scanlon launched an apartment scouting business, LA Apartment Scout."

"She's part of a rising group of apartment scouts - not licensed real estate agents, but savvy entrepreneurs who tour apartments, share videos on social media and, in some cases, work one-on-one with clients to find a place that fits their specific aesthetic and budget. Unlike brokers - licensed professionals who act as intermediaries between landlords and tenants, comm"

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