City Nest - Apartment Rental Website

City Nest is a web-based apartment rental platform developed as a university project during my 2nd Year 1st Semester in April 2025. The system allows users to browse apartment listings, view detailed property information, save apartments to a wishlist, contact the platform, and manage user sessions through login and registration.

The project also includes an admin section where the admin can manage apartment listings, view contact messages, add new listings, edit existing listings, delete listings, and manage registered users.

Project Overview

City Nest is designed to make apartment searching simple and convenient. Users can explore available apartments with details such as price, location, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, furnished status, area, images, and WhatsApp contact links.

The platform includes two main user roles:

1. Normal Users

   • Browse apartments
   • Register and login
   • View apartment details
   • Add apartments to wishlist
   • Remove apartments from wishlist
   • Send contact messages

2. Admin

   • Login using predefined admin credentials
   • View user messages
   • Add apartment listings
   • Manage apartment listings
   • Edit apartment listing details
   • Delete apartment listings
   • Manage registered users

Features

Public Website Features

• Home page with hero section
• Apartment listing page
• Apartment detail/overview page
• About page
• Contact page
• Terms and Conditions page
• Responsive-style page layout using custom CSS
• Apartment image gallery
• Font Awesome icons integration

User Features

• User registration
• User login
• Session-based authentication
• User logout
• Wishlist functionality
• Add apartments to wishlist
• View saved wishlist apartments
• Delete apartments from wishlist
• Submit contact messages

Admin Features

• Hardcoded admin login
• Admin dashboard navigation
• View submitted contact messages
• Delete contact messages
• Add new apartment listings
• Manage apartment listings
• Edit existing apartment listings
• Delete apartment listings
• View registered users
• Delete registered users

Technologies Used

Frontend

• HTML5
• CSS3
• JavaScript
• Font Awesome

Backend

• PHP

Database

• MySQL / MariaDB

Local Server

• XAMPP
• Apache
• MySQL / MariaDB

Database Management Tools

• MySQL Workbench
• phpMyAdmin

Project Folder Structure

src/
│
├── images/
│   ├── heroBanner.png
│   ├── aboutCover.jpg
│   ├── aboutUs.jpg
│   ├── img1.jpg
│   ├── img1_1.jpg
│   ├── img1_2.jpg
│   └── ...
│
├── js/
│   ├── contact.js
│   ├── editListingAdmin.js
│   ├── mangeUser.js
│   ├── message.js
│   ├── register.js
│   └── wishlist.js
│
├── styles/
│   ├── about.css
│   ├── addListingAdmin.css
│   ├── adminheader.css
│   ├── apartment.css
│   ├── contact.css
│   ├── footer.css
│   ├── header.css
│   ├── home.css
│   ├── login.css
│   ├── manageListingAdmin.css
│   ├── manageUserAdmin.css
│   ├── messageAdmin.css
│   ├── overView.css
│   ├── register.css
│   ├── termsAndCondition.css
│   └── wishList.css
│
├── about.php
├── addListingAdmin.php
├── addListing_process.php
├── apartments.php
├── config.php
├── contact.php
├── contact_process.php
├── deleteListing_process.php
├── deleteMessage_process.php
├── deleteUser_process.php
├── deleteWishList_process.php
├── editListing_process.php
├── home.php
├── login.html
├── login_process.php
├── logoff.php
├── manageListingAdmin.php
├── manageUserAdmin.php
├── messageAdmin.php
├── overView.php
├── register.html
├── register_process.php
├── termsAndCondition.php
├── wishList.php
├── wishList_processApartments.php
├── wishList_processHome.php
└── wishList_processOverview.php

Database Tables

The project uses the following database tables:

1. registered_user

Stores normal user account details.

2. apartment

Stores main apartment listing information.

3. apartment_images

Stores additional apartment images.

4. message

Stores contact form messages.

5. wishlist

Stores user wishlist items.

Prerequisites

Before running this project, install the following:

• XAMPP
• MySQL Workbench or phpMyAdmin
• Web browser such as Chrome, Edge, or Firefox

Local Setup Instructions

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone <your-repository-url>

Or download the project as a ZIP file from GitHub and extract it.

Step 2: Move the Project to XAMPP htdocs

Copy the project folder into the XAMPP htdocs directory.

Example:

C:\xampp\htdocs\citynest

Your folder should look like this:

C:\xampp\htdocs\citynest\home.php
C:\xampp\htdocs\citynest\config.php
C:\xampp\htdocs\citynest\login.html
C:\xampp\htdocs\citynest\images\
C:\xampp\htdocs\citynest\styles\

If your folder name is src, the path may look like:

C:\xampp\htdocs\src

Step 3: Start XAMPP Services

Open XAMPP Control Panel and start:

Apache
MySQL

In this project setup, MySQL is running on port:

3307

Step 4: Create the Database

Open MySQL Workbench or phpMyAdmin.

Create a database named:

test

Then select the database:

USE test;

Database Setup Query

Run the following SQL query in MySQL Workbench or phpMyAdmin:

CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS test;
USE test;

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS registered_user (
    user_id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    password VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    email VARCHAR(150) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
    f_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    l_name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS apartment (
    apartment_id VARCHAR(50) PRIMARY KEY,
    title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    discription TEXT NOT NULL,
    no_of_bedrooms INT,
    no_of_bathroom INT,
    area INT,
    furnished_status VARCHAR(50),
    apart_address VARCHAR(255),
    price DECIMAL(12,2),
    whatsappLink VARCHAR(255),
    thumbnail VARCHAR(255)
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS apartment_images (
    id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    apartment_id VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    images VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
    FOREIGN KEY (apartment_id) REFERENCES apartment(apartment_id)
        ON DELETE CASCADE
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS message (
    message_id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    name VARCHAR(150) NOT NULL,
    phone_no VARCHAR(50),
    email VARCHAR(150),
    message TEXT NOT NULL
);

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS wishlist (
    wishlist_id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    email VARCHAR(150) NOT NULL,
    apartment_id VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    FOREIGN KEY (apartment_id) REFERENCES apartment(apartment_id)
        ON DELETE CASCADE
);

Database Configuration

The database connection is configured inside config.php.

Current configuration:

<?php 

$server = "localhost";
$un = "root";
$pw = "";
$db = "test";
$port = 3307;

$con = new mysqli($server, $un, $pw, $db, $port);

if ($con->connect_error) {
    die("Connection Failed: " . $con->connect_error);
}

?>

Important

If your MySQL server is running on port 3306, change this line:

$port = 3307;

to:

$port = 3306;

For XAMPP MySQL running on port 3307, keep it as:

$port = 3307;

Running the Project

After starting Apache and MySQL in XAMPP, open the project in your browser.

If your folder name is citynest, use:

http://localhost/citynest/home.php

If your folder name is src, use:

http://localhost/src/home.php

Main Pages

Admin Pages

Login Credentials

Admin Login

Email: admin@citynest.com
Password: 123

The admin login is hardcoded inside login_process.php.

Sample User Login

If sample users are inserted into the database, you can login with:

Email: amaya.silva@gmail.com
Password: user123

or

Email: kasun.jayasinghe@gmail.com
Password: user123

Normal users can also create an account from the registration page.

Sample Data

For demonstration purposes, sample apartments, users, messages, and wishlist records can be inserted into the database. The project already includes apartment images inside the images folder, so sample apartment records should use image file names such as:

img1.jpg
img1_1.jpg
img1_2.jpg
img1_3.jpg
img1_4.jpg
img2.jpg
img2_1.jpg
...
img10.jpg

This makes the apartment listing pages look complete during a demonstration.

How the System Works

User Flow

1. A visitor opens the home page.
2. The visitor can browse apartment listings.
3. The visitor can view full apartment details.
4. To use the wishlist, the visitor should login or register.
5. A logged-in user can add apartments to the wishlist.
6. The user can remove apartments from the wishlist.
7. The user can contact the platform using the contact page.
8. The user can logout.

Admin Flow

1. Admin logs in using the admin credentials.
2. Admin is redirected to the admin dashboard.
3. Admin can view contact messages.
4. Admin can add new apartment listings.
5. Admin can edit apartment listing details.
6. Admin can delete apartment listings.
7. Admin can view and delete registered users.

Important Project Notes

This project was created as an academic project and demonstrates the basic concepts of a PHP and MySQL web application.

The project currently uses:

• Procedural PHP
• Plain SQL queries
• Session-based login
• Hardcoded admin credentials
• Static image file names for listings
• Basic CRUD operations

Known Limitations

This project was developed for learning and academic demonstration purposes. Some areas can be improved before using it as a real production system.

Current limitations include:

• Passwords are stored as plain text
• SQL queries are not prepared statements
• Admin login is hardcoded
• No advanced input validation
• No role table in the database
• No image upload system
• Apartment images are entered using image file names
• Some pages may need improved responsiveness
• No payment or booking system
• No email notification system
• No advanced search or filtering system
• No password reset functionality

Future Improvements

Possible improvements for future development:

• Add password hashing using password_hash()
• Use prepared statements to prevent SQL injection
• Add proper admin role management
• Add apartment image upload feature
• Add search and filter options for apartments
• Add booking request functionality
• Add email notifications
• Add user profile management
• Improve UI/UX design
• Improve mobile responsiveness
• Add pagination for apartment listings
• Add dashboard analytics for admin
• Add environment-based configuration
• Separate backend logic from frontend markup
• Convert the project into MVC architecture

Security Improvements Recommended

Before using this project in a real environment, the following security improvements are recommended:

1. Hash user passwords.
2. Replace direct SQL queries with prepared statements.
3. Validate and sanitize all form inputs.
4. Remove hardcoded admin credentials.
5. Add CSRF protection for form submissions.
6. Add authentication checks to admin pages.
7. Disable direct access to process files.
8. Add better session handling.
9. Hide database credentials using environment variables.

Academic Purpose

This project was developed as part of a university assignment to practice web development using PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It helped improve understanding of:

• Client-server communication
• Database connectivity
• CRUD operations
• Session handling
• Form handling
• Admin dashboard development
• User authentication basics
• Dynamic content rendering using PHP

Author

Developed by Shiham Ahamed

License

This project is for educational purposes. You may modify and improve it for learning, portfolio, or academic demonstration use.