Metro Flats is a site dedicated to helping users locate rental properties for their vacation. The properties included are centered in major cities in the United States. For someone planning to stay in one of these cities, Metro Flats is a great place to start gathering information and discovering what properties are available. The site provides a convenient search feature, playfully highlighted by the submit button (which reads “Find your happy place!”). Users can also connect through Facebook or add their own property as available for rent.

Metro Flats CEO Avisha Khubani has experience in the vacation real estate business. Since 2008, Khubani has been overseeing MetroFlatsNYC.com, a New York City based site similar to Metro Flats. She was searching for a better way to advertise the properties she handled without breaking the bank. In 2009, Metro Flats was created as a way to give property owners an affordable, easy way to reach out to potential vacationers. There are no listing fees included and the site was intended to become a vacation rental search engine. Today, Metro Flats is growing and includes many properties to help property owners and tenants connect. MetroFlats.com was shut down in 2011.

There are many travel websites, and a number of those focus on hotel listings. While these are very helpful, they are only considering one part of the vacation real estate market. Metro Flats helps pick up where these sites left off by providing a very affordable (as affordable as free) service that helps promote rental properties. Metro Flats goes beyond hotel listings to include all manner of rentals so users can see all of their options quickly.

As soon as a new user visits the Metro Flats homepage, they are greeted by rich images of cityscapes, beach paradise, and other breathtaking travel destinations. The site includes an attractive pink and blue color scheme which works well (especially since the pink is used conservatively). The search tools are prominently displayed on the homepage so a user can quickly begin their journey to the perfect rental property. Additional items are posted on the homepage to entice travelers, including the Metro Flats blog and a short overview of upcoming events in major U.S. cities.

A new Metro Flats user can click the small blue “Register Free” link at the top right hand corner of the homepage. Doing so will direct the user to the registration form, which asks for a valid email address, first and last name, and password. After clicking the large blue “Join Now” button, the user is invited to check their email contact list to see who they already know that is on Metro Flats. The site also offers users a $50 credit to give to others who they convince to join as well.

The cost of using Metro Flats itself is as low as it can get: free. Anyone can create an account and browse the listings found on the site at no cost. Even property owners can post their properties at no cost. This is important because there are so many travel websites available that are free. Charging for use would counter act the nature of Metro Flats.

Anyone traveling to a major city in the United States can really appreciate the service offered by Metro Flats. That being said, the site is a little limited in scope for anyone that might want to travel outside of the United States or to lesser known locales. The features provide a full spectrum of details so the user can get a good idea about the property before inquiring further.

• Search for available properties
• List a property as available on Metro Flats
• Connect Metro Flats to Facebook and Twitter
• Subscribe to the Metro Flats newsletter to receive tips, special deals and destination information
• Read homepage listed user feeds