Startup uses social events to turn rentals into lifestyle centres

hOM creates connections and fosters communities at apartment buildings by offering fitness and other events

Spotted: US-based startup, hOM, helps rental property owners offer fitness as well as social and professional events at their property. The services transform apartment buildings into lifestyle centres and increase tenant retention, the company says. 

hOM aims to turn apartment buildings into communities by bringing amenities to buildings that lack modern gyms or other add-ons. Its goal is to make yoga, fitness and meditation more accessible. 

hOM also offers property owners an easy, assessable way to bring amenities to tenants. It has its own staff of fitness instructors, as well as event planners, and provides popular classes such as yoga and boot camp, without the extra overhead of putting in a pool or gym.  It also provides mixers and other social and business events. 

The startup targets older buildings that lack the services available at newer developments. The service has become especially valuable in New York City, where a surplus of high-end housing has made it difficult to retain tenants.
hOM is based in New York, with additional offices in LA and Philadelphia, as well as in Canada. Property managers have seen a 15 per cent higher tenant retention rate in hOM communities, compared to the national average.