While there are numerous ways to search for housing online, the city says its deal with City Wise is different, providing a more reliable way to sort through properties.
"For too many people, finding housing is not simply a matter of finding available units. It's about knowing where to look, knowing which resources are legitimate, and understanding what assistance may be available, and being able to trust that the information in front of you is actually accurate,"
Councilman Tyler Morton said. "Unfortunately, when people are desperate for housing, they can become vulnerable to misinformation and scams."
The City Wise site is still in the pilot phase, but it's adding to its list of participating landlords.
Once it's completely up and running, it will also provide links to local resources available for tenants, including legal help and financial and utility assistance.
City Wise itself will also commit 10 percent of its revenue to Lexington's housing stability and rental assistance efforts. Luannabelle Wieseman with City Wise says it won't be buried pages deep on Google searches either.
"Because it's on a government source, it will rank higher on Google in comparison to other rental platforms," she told reporters Thursday. "When you search for it, it'll pop up higher on search engines."
The site will also direct users to market rate housing.
The link is apartments.lexingtonky.gov.