How the Roofy listing score works
Every home listed for rent or sale on Roofy gets a score from 0 to 100 that shows how complete and honest the listing is: whether it has enough good photos, states the facts and the fees, agrees with other sites and city records, avoids wording fair-housing law does not allow, and has someone standing behind it. Each listing page shows its score, a letter grade and the points for every check.
The score is about the listing, not the home. It isn’t a rating of the home, the building, the landlord or the agent, and it isn’t a review. A great apartment with three photos and no fees stated scores lower than it deserves until the listing says more.
Six parts, 100 points
- Photos25 points
How many photos there are and how large they are.
- Details20 points
The facts a renter or buyer needs, and a useful description.
- True cost15 points
Whether the fees are stated, and how the price compares with similar homes nearby.
- Accuracy15 points
Whether the facts agree across sites and with city records, and how recently the listing was confirmed.
- Legal10 points
Fair-housing wording, and an active license when an agent lists it.
- Trust15 points
Whether the owner or the agent stands behind the listing on Roofy, and is verified.
Every check
A check that does not apply to a listing earns its points (a lease length for a home for sale, a license for an owner). A check Roofy cannot make yet, such as comparing the price where there are too few similar homes, earns about half.
Photos · 25 points
- 15 ptEight photos or more. Fewer photos earn a share of the points.
- 10 ptHow large the photos are: 1,000 pixels or more on the long side earns full marks, 640 most of them, 400 some, smaller none, and a size Roofy cannot tell half. Roofy reads the size from the photo’s web address or the uploaded file, not what the photo shows.
Details · 20 points
- 3 ptThe price.
- 2 ptThe number of bedrooms (not for land, a single room or commercial space).
- 2 ptThe number of bathrooms.
- 2 ptThe size, in square feet or square meters.
- 2 ptRentals: the move-in date, or that it is available now.
- 1 ptRentals: the lease length or minimum stay.
- 1 ptWhether pets are allowed.
- 1 ptWhere the laundry is.
- 1 ptHeat, hot water or utilities.
- 2 ptThree amenities or more (one or two earn 1 point).
- 3 ptA useful description: 60 words or more (20 words earn 2 points, 8 words 1).
True cost · 15 points
- 8 ptRentals: whether there is a broker fee and who pays it, or the deposit and other costs (New York City’s FARE Act has required fee disclosure since 2025). Sales: the running costs (an HOA fee, a service charge or the taxes); a house without them earns half.
- 7 ptThe price against similar listings nearby, from Roofy’s area statistics: in range 7, above or below the range 5, above the range where homes are slow to go 3, far below a whole borough or city (or a home for sale far below its neighborhood) 3, not enough similar homes to compare 4. A rental far below its own neighborhood earns nothing (see the price cap below).
Accuracy · 15 points
- 6 ptImported listings: when two or more sites list the home, they agree on the price (within 3%), the bedrooms and the size (within 10%). One site earns 3, sites that disagree 1. Listings posted on Roofy earn 3.
- 5 ptNew York City: the year built agrees with the city’s property records (PLUTO) within two years (3 points; 2 when no year is stated), and the records show homes in the building (2). Elsewhere, or without a city tax lot, 2.
- 4 ptImported listings: a source site showed the home on the market in the last 7 days (4), 14 days (3) or 30 days (1). Listings posted on Roofy: the owner updated or renewed it in the last 14 days (4), 30 days (3), or longer ago (2).
Legal · 10 points
- 6 ptThe title and description have no wording that fair-housing law does not allow, such as “no vouchers” (refusing a housing voucher is source-of-income discrimination, illegal in New York City). Wording to review earns 3, a clear problem 0.
- 4 ptAn agent’s or manager’s license is active. An owner needs no license and earns the points.
Trust · 15 points
- 10 ptImported listings: the agent or agency has claimed their page on Roofy. Listings posted on Roofy earn the points.
- 5 ptImported listings: the agent is verified on Roofy. Listings posted on Roofy: the owner’s account is verified.
Grades
| Grade | Score | Means |
|---|---|---|
| A | 85 to 100 | Very complete |
| B | 70 to 84 | Complete |
| C | 50 to 69 | Fairly complete |
| D | 30 to 49 | Incomplete |
| F | Below 30 | Very incomplete |
A price far below the neighborhood
A rental priced far below similar homes in its own neighborhood or ZIP code is a common sign of a rental scam. Its price check earns nothing and its whole score is held at 50, whatever else the listing has, and the listing page says why. Never send money for a home you haven’t seen.
How often it changes
A listing posted on Roofy is scored again within seconds of every change its owner makes. Listings imported from other sites are scored each time Roofy refreshes them, and every listing is scored again every night. The listing page shows when its score was worked out.
For owners and agents
When you look at your own listing while signed in, its score card lists what to fix, with the points each change adds, such as “Add the move-in date: +2”. Agents can raise the trust points of the listings imported from other sites by claiming their agent page on Roofy, from the “Is this you?” link on that page or on the listing’s score card.
No one can pay to change a score: not owners, not agents, not advertisers.
Search engines
Roofy asks search engines to leave out listings that are no longer available, listings without a public address, and listings imported from other sites that score below 60. The score is never published as a star rating or a review.
What the score doesn’t check yet
- What the photos show: rooms, sharpness, duplicates or watermarks. Today the photo part counts photos and measures their size.
- Reviews of agents, owners or buildings.
- Whether the home is in good condition. For New York City buildings, the separate building score comes from HPD housing violations.
Something looks wrong?
If a check reads wrong for your listing, update the listing and the score follows within seconds. For a listing imported from another site, the fix belongs on that site; Roofy picks it up at the next refresh. You can also use “Report this listing” on its page.