Looking to rent, have a couple questions

[Travis]

I'm moving this summer and I'll be renting a house for the first time (I've been in apartments most of my adult life).  I found a number of possible locations on Zillow, but it's the end of April and I won't be looking to occupy until mid-July.  How early is appropriate to start engaging landlords and agencies about their properties?  When I moved into my current apartment, from introduction to moving in only took a couple days.  How long does that process usually take with a house?  According to Zillow most of the places I'm interested in won't be available until late May-early June so I don't want to start calling too soon.  Along with making sure I'm not calling about properties that'll be rented out before I show up, I'm also trying to figure out how long I might be on someone's couch or in a motel during the process.

[Lis]

There's no harm in starting the process now. Give a landlord/real estate person a call and explain you're coming from out of town and like to secure a place ASAP. They'll either get your information and start the process, or tell you to call back later.

[Another Reader]

Landlords generally get at least 30 days notice their property is vacating.  Same with property management companies.  It generally can take anywhere from 1 to 30 days after the vacancy to get the property ready to rent again and sign the tenant.  A good time to start looking aggressively would be near the end of May.  If you know what you want and the move-in date, I would call several property management companies to ask about anything they know about now for a July occupancy.  If you are in a hot rental market, a resume with info like your rental history, occupation, salary range, time with your employer, and credit score range might help with getting the place you want.