Michael Giangiordano, CEO/Founder, Rental Rater

First I want to highlight my family’s story. The story begins in a small town in Italy called Roccascalegna. It was here that my great-grandfather, Philip Giangiordano, decided to drastically alter the course of history for his family. Philip decided to venture across the Atlantic Ocean in search for a new beginning. That new beginning was in the United States. He came to Philadelphia with his family in the early 1900s and started a produce and a construction business in the 9th St. Italian Market. It was this risk and entrepreneurial spirit that drives who I am today. That tradition has carried forward with my grandfather, Tony, who continued that same produce business and my father, Michael, who today runs his own real estate firm. Now, one might ask how does this story connect to Rental Rater? Well, it is a very important piece of Rental Rater because if it wasn’t for that risk-driven spirit and entrepreneurial drive that is in the fabric of my DNA, Rental Rater would not exist today.

Rental Rater began on a cool fall day. I was showing one of our apartments when I was asked by the potential tenant what the current or past tenants thought of the place. Being proud that we are excellent landlords, I responded, “To my knowledge, she is very happy and all of our tenants are very happy.” This question sent me on a search–to find a place where tenants can review rentals. My search came up empty. There was no place that adequately fulfilled the needs of the consumer – thus Rental Rater was born! My next mission was to sell family and friends on this idea. It took some convincing, but they believed in me thus they believed in Rental Rater. Now, I was confronted with a problem. I was not a software engineer and I didn’t know the first thing about starting a business or building a website. This is where the help and guidance of my father and my alma mater Drexel, came in. They have been incredible. A debt I can never possibly repay.

Rental Rater began with a simple idea – bring landlords and tenants together! Create a forum where tenants can let other tenants know about their rentals. Hold bad landlords accountable and reward good landlords, like my father, with reviews from past and present tenants. See Rental Rater is not just a web app, Rental Rater is a place where you can review rentals and read reviews before renting your next place. It truly gives you a sense of peace and it allows you to rent with confidence!