How do rental alerts work, and why are they useful?

What a rental alert does

You enter your search preferences once: for example, the region, a maximum basic rent, the number of bedrooms and whether you want a self-contained home. A search service then reviews new listings from the sources it monitors and lets you know what fits your profile, usually by email or an app notification.

The benefit is consistency, not a guarantee. You do not have to remember which sources you were following, and you can also look at homes that appeared when you were not actively searching. An alert does not decide whether a home suits you, take over contact with the provider or sign a contract for you. You handle those steps yourself.

• An alert is a notification, not registration with a housing association.
• Responding, viewing and negotiating remain up to you.
• An alert does not change your own rights or responsibilities.

Adjust your filters: specific enough to stay useful

An alert is only as good as the profile behind it. Make your filters too narrow and you will receive very little. Make them too broad and you will receive a stream of alerts you will not look at, costing you as much time as searching yourself.

Put your essential requirements in the profile: the things you really cannot do without, such as a region or a maximum basic rent. Keep the rest more flexible than you would ideally like. Searching for an exact price makes a match less likely; a range gives you more room. If you search by text, use specific words such as 'balcony' or 'terraced house' rather than words that describe almost every home.

Also resist the temptation to create one very broad profile. Several smaller profiles often work better alongside each other, because each describes one clear search rather than a mixed wish list.

• Put essential requirements in your profile, such as region and maximum basic rent.
• Use a price range rather than one exact amount.
• Use specific keywords for features you really want.

Search service or letting agent: the distinction matters

There are two different types of service. A website that only collects listings from other parties is a search service: you search on it, but its staff do not act as intermediaries or arrange viewings or contracts. A letting agent does. With a search service, contacting the actual provider is therefore often a step you need to take yourself.

The ACM investigated rental websites after consumers reported that homes shown were no longer available or that they could not get in touch with the letting agent. According to the ACM, these websites must clearly explain that they only provide a search service, and must also be clear about the availability of the homes shown and how up to date the listings are.

Some services are free; others use a subscription. A subscription pays for a service you use, not for a letting agent's services or a guarantee that you will find a home. The ACM says such websites must also be clear about the subscription's cost and how to end it. Pay particular attention to three things in the terms: exactly what the subscription includes, how to cancel it, and which providers are actually monitored.

• Search service: you continue the search with the provider yourself; there is no intermediary service.
• Letting agent: also answers questions and arranges a viewing or contract.
• A subscription pays for a service, not guaranteed listings.

When an alert is less useful

An alert solves part of the problem, but not the hardest part. Viewing the home yourself, assessing the building's condition, reading the terms and working out whether the contract is reasonable remain tasks you cannot leave to a service. Do not expect an alert to take over a viewing or negotiate the price.

There may also come a point when alerts give you more than you can handle. Lots of alerts in one day, or alerts arriving at times when you cannot respond, are a sign to tighten your filters or limit the volume. A handful of alerts you can actually assess is better than a long list of listings you leave unread.

• An alert does not replace your own assessment of the home.
• If you receive more alerts than you can handle, narrow your profile.
• You remain responsible for what you sign.