HousingFeedDoes craigslist have an API?
No. craigslist has no public API for reading or searching listings. Its only documented interface is a bulk posting interface that lets approved high-volume posters submit paid postings. Its terms forbid collecting craigslist content by scripts or scrapers, and displaying or distributing content from the site.
The one interface craigslist documents.
craigslist publishes one technical interface, and it works in one direction: postings go in.
| Interface | What it does | Direction | Who gets access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk posting interface | Submits many new postings in one request, in RSS format over HTTPS; craigslist replies with which postings were accepted | Into craigslist | High-volume posters, "hundreds of postings per month or more", case by case; paid US categories only: jobs, apartment rentals in NYC, for sale by dealer |
| An API to read or search postings | Not offered | None | Software that downloads or searches the site needs a separate licence from craigslist |
From craigslist's own pages, retrieved 5 November 2026. Sources at the end of the page.
What the terms say.
No collecting. "You agree not to copy/collect CL content via robots, spiders, scripts, scrapers, crawlers, or any automated or manual equivalent (e.g., by hand)."
No display or distribution. "You agree not to display, ‘frame,’ make derivative works, distribute, license, or sell, content from CL, excluding postings you create."
No unlicensed tools. Unless licensed by craigslist in a separate agreement, you agree not to use or provide software that interacts with craigslist "for downloading, uploading, ... posting, flagging, emailing, searching, or mobile use".
Those terms rule out craigslist as a source for a product that shows rental listings, whichever tool collects them.
Where rental listings you may display come from.
Property managers' own websites
Professionally managed rentals are published on the manager's website and leasing software, usually before they reach any marketplace. HousingFeed collects them there and licenses eligible records for display, with attribution and a link back. How to access it →
What no licensed feed has
Single units that an individual landlord posts only on craigslist or a portal. If your product depends on those, no licensed feed supplies them today; plan around it rather than around a scraper.
Questions people ask next.
Is there a craigslist API for searching listings?
No. craigslist documents no interface for reading or searching postings (checked 5 November 2026). Its terms say that, unless craigslist licenses you in a separate agreement, you may not use software that interacts with the site for downloading or searching.
What is the craigslist bulk posting interface?
A way for approved high-volume posters to submit many new postings in one request, in RSS format over HTTPS. Access is granted case by case to accounts posting hundreds of times a month or more, and only in paid posting categories in the US, such as jobs and apartment rentals in New York City. It sends postings to craigslist; it does not return other people's postings.
Can I scrape craigslist?
craigslist's terms forbid it in plain words: you agree not to copy or collect craigslist content by robots, spiders, scripts, scrapers or crawlers, or by hand. They also forbid displaying, framing, distributing or selling content from craigslist, other than postings you create.
Can I show craigslist rentals in my app?
Not under craigslist's terms. They forbid displaying or distributing content from the site, except your own postings, unless craigslist licenses you separately.
Who posts rentals on craigslist?
Many are individual landlords renting one unit, alongside property managers and brokers. That matters when you look for a replacement: property managers usually publish the same listings on their own websites, individual landlords often do not.
Where do I get rental listings I am allowed to display?
From property managers and owners who publish them on their own sites. HousingFeed collects those listings at the source and licenses eligible records for display, with attribution and a link back. It does not contain craigslist postings. Display rights explained →
Sources.
Written by HousingFeed, which is independent of craigslist. Every craigslist statement above comes from these pages, retrieved 5 November 2026. If craigslist changes an offering, tell us and we correct the page.
- craigslist Bulk Posting Interface ↗ "for easy submission of multiple new posts in a single request"; access "granted to high volume posters (hundreds of postings per month or more) on a case-by-case basis, and is limited to paid posting categories in the U.S."
- craigslist Terms of Use ↗ "You agree not to copy/collect CL content via robots, spiders, scripts, scrapers, crawlers, or any automated or manual equivalent (e.g., by hand)"; "You agree not to display, ‘frame,’ make derivative works, distribute, license, or sell, content from CL, excluding postings you create"
Related: Does Zillow have an API? · Does Redfin have an API? · How to get rental listings for an app · Display rights explained. Names and trademarks belong to their owners.
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