ORA® Helps Renters Compare Apartment Communities With More Confidence
Choosing an apartment is a high-stakes decision. Photos and tours only show you the surface.
ORA® helps you understand what daily life is more likely to feel like after move-in.
ORA summarizes real renter reviews into a single score and resident experience signals, so you can compare apartment communities using lived experience patterns rather than marketing promises.
What Is ORA?
ORA is a tool designed to help renters understand the resident experience at apartment communities. It is designed to reduce decision fatigue and help renters avoid unpleasant surprises by making resident experience patterns easier to compare.
Reviews are the raw input. ORA is the standardized monthly interpretation.
Formal Definition: The ORA Score
The ORA Score is a 0–100, monthly-updated, unbiased resident experience metric for an apartment community.
It is based on real renter feedback from 13+ review sites and related sources and evaluated across 22 operational categories renters mention most.
A monthly-updated resident experience score based on real renter feedback, designed to help renters compare apartment communities with more confidence.
Strengths:
- Maintenance
- Cleanliness
- Communication
Opportunities:
Parking, Noise
Resident Experience Signals
To provide context to the ORA score, ORA identifies the Top 3 Strengths and Bottom 3 Opportunities that are influencing that community's ORA score the most. These categories include things like:
Maintenance
Communication
Cleanliness
Noise
Parking
PestsThe month and year matter because resident experience can shift over time. The ORA app shows the most current ORA Score and whether it is trending up or down. It does not display the month and year.
Why ORA® Matters During An Apartment Rental Decision
- Location
- Budget
- Amenities
- Pet policies
- Will maintenance follow through?
- Will communication stay consistent?
- Will shared spaces remain clean beyond the model apartment?
- Will noise feel manageable day to day?
- Will policies and billing feel clear?
ORA® helps you evaluate those questions earlier, with more clarity.
Learn how to compare communitiesUnderstand The National Average ORA Score
The National Average ORA Score provides benchmark context for a specific month and year.
When comparing apartment communities, always compare ORA Scores from the same month and year.
A strong ORA Score suggests a more predictable resident experience relative to the National Average ORA Score benchmark and indicates avoidance of sustained negative reviews in critical resident experience categories within the last 6–12 months.
Even strong scores can have opportunity areas worth verifying.
ORA Power Rankings
ORA Power rankings recognize apartment communities based on resident experience patterns reflected in ORA Score performance during a defined month or year. Rankings are not paid placements and are not influenced by marketing participation.
2025 Elite ORA Power Ranking
September 2025 MSA Top 10 Metros (1–25) ORA Power Rankings
View the listOctober 2025 MSA Top 10 Metros (26–50) ORA Power Rankings
View the list2025 Best In State ORA Power Ranking
View the list2025 Einstein Best of Awards
View the list
Cities
ORA City Guides provide renter-focused context about apartment resident experience within specific metropolitan areas.
They help you understand how to compare apartment communities in a local market before narrowing your shortlist.
Learn
Want to fully understand ORA before using it?
FAQ
Have questions about ORA, strengths and opportunities, score timing, or how to use the National Average ORA Score benchmark?