Renters get the same kitchen-table pitch as owners. The difference is the lease. A self-regenerating softener needs a drain, a salt pad, and often a hole in a slab. Most landlords will not sign that. Most cities that ban brine will not care that you “only rent.”
Under-sink RO is the small box. It sits in the kitchen cabinet. It needs:
- the cold-water line
- a drain connection (saddle or air-gap, follow the unit and the plumbing code in that building)
- a place for the faucet, or a matching fridge line if the unit supports it
- cartridge changes on the manufacturer’s schedule
EPA’s home-filter pages are about listed claims, not about owning the building. If PFAS is why you are shopping, the language is still NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 for the exact model. Lead and nitrate are optional 53/58 claims. A chlorine pitcher is none of those.
What a renter should not buy first
A whole-house carbon tank in a rented mechanical closet is a negotiation, not a default. A salt tank is usually a no. Portable-exchange softening, if a local service exists and the lease allows the tank swap, is the hardness path that does not cut a brine line — and only if hardness is actually the problem.
Shopping, without a medical story
Shop under-sink reverse osmosis as a search, not as a brand ranking. Amazon search is first on this site (tag=tapmatch-20). Cloud RO is the under-sink unit we actually run. Waterdrop is a tankless option after that. Take the unit when you move if the lease says the faucet hole stays.
If you cannot drill a hole, a listed pitcher is the honest first step. It will not treat the shower.