There are a number of website that you can visit to search for an apartment online. Before visiting any of them, we encourage you to use our Neighborhood Finder to help you determine where to look and read our Guide on Online Housing Discrimination to know how to identify illegal discrimination.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Illinois Department on Aging have collaborated to build ILHousingSearch.org.The site provides detailed information about rental properties and helps people find housing to best fit their needs. The service can be accessed at no cost online 24 hours a day or through a toll-free, bilingual call center at 1-877-428-8844, available M-F, 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (CDT).

Below is a partial list of for-profit websites where you can find a market rate apartment:

• Chicago Tribune
• Chicago Reader
• Chicago Sun-Times
• craigslist and PadMapper (craigslist on a map)
• Rent.com
• Apartments.com
• RentBits.com
• HotPads

For advice on how to best use these and other online apartment listing websites, read this excellent post Hack Attack: Apartment Hunting 101 by Adam Pash on Lifehacker.com. Once you've found the apartment you want to rent, make sure to read our How to Negotiate an Apartment Lease Guide.

If you are looking for a roommate online, MoveSmart recommends that you do not use the website Roommates.com. This site discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation and familial status and is currently defending itself in a fair housing lawsuit in California (read more here). We are currently drafting a Guide on how to find a roommate.

If you are in need of supportive housing, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago maintains Direct2Housing.org, a searchable database that includes waiting list and availability information.