Woodbridge Man Wins "Rent For Life" Sweepstakes

A Woodbridge man who wrote a review of an apartment, has won the “Rent For Life” sweepstakes.

Martin Hudak won the Apartments.com contest and received a $545,000 check this week “in recognition of his helpful apartment review,” a news release said.

Hudak is a utility contractor and engineer and says he plans to plans to use some of the prize money “to improve the lives of others in turn mentioning his mother as well as charitable endeavors,” the news release said.

His review was randomly chosen from more than 155,000 entries.

Contestants submitted reviews of their apartments or communities and those that were designated as “helpful” were eligible to win the grand prize.

About a dozen other contestants won free rent for a year.

“Authentic, first-hand user reviews are critical to the search process. They help prospective renters make informed choices about apartments and neighborhoods that can change their lives,” Andrew Florance, CEO of CoStar Group, which owns Apartments.com, ApartmentFinder.com and ApartmentHomeLiving.com, said in a prepared statement. “Since the launch of the new Apartments.com site eight months ago, our mission has been to reshape the online rental search experience by offering the most sophisticated search tools, a rich media library, real-time availability and ease of use. Combined with user reviews like Martin’s, we’re helping renters find their next home quickly – and driving faster leads and leases for our advertisers as a result.”

Hudak’s review was among those deemed helpful by users of the site.

“It’s always been important to me to try to influence people’s lives in a positive way,” Hudak said in a prepared statement. “Winning Rent for Life means an amazing opportunity to do a lot of the things I’ve always wanted to.”

He said he plans to put some of his winnings toward retirement, help his mom and donate some to charity.

“And maybe I’ll buy a new bike,” he said.