Full Definition
An apartment locator (sometimes called a 'finder' or 'rental agent') is a real estate professional who specializes in matching renters with apartment communities. They work on the renter's behalf — but get paid by the apartment community, not the renter.
The model works because apartment communities have a marketing budget for new leases. They'd rather pay that budget to a locator who delivers pre-qualified, ready-to-sign renters than spend it on Zillow ads that generate lots of unqualified leads. The renter pays nothing, and there's no markup added to the rent.
Apartment locators typically: search hundreds of communities against the renter's criteria, deliver a curated shortlist of 3-5 best matches, know current move-in concessions that aren't advertised, negotiate additional concessions, schedule and sometimes attend tours, help with applications and lease review, and stay available for post-move questions.