Property app helps young renters swap homes

Using a dating-style app consumers can match their property with others in order to swap

In the increasingly competitive housing market, innovation has played a progressively large role in facilitating the process of buying and renting property. The US company Zenplace who use a robot instead of a human estate agent is such an example, as is the short-term rent provided by the startup Pop and Rest, where consumers can rent a space for mere hours. A recently developed app aims to aid young people enter the housing market in the Netherlands, matching people’s rental properties with a view for them to potentially swap houses.

The HuisjeHuisje product was created by Pieter Schipper, with the intention to make is easier for tenants to move house should they desire. The app simplifies the process of moving property, which can often comprise of a long waiting time, by offering renters a free, safe and reliable platform to search and organize a home exchange. It is necessary for landlords to allow the home swap however, and the platform only applies to rental properties. Consumers may download the app for free in the App Store or via Google Play. HuisjeHuisje functions much like a dating app, whereby users upload their property details and then must mutually ‘like’ one another’s profiles in order to make a match. The app lists property information such as cost, size, location and the number of rooms, helping users to quickly and easily filter their search. Once two users have ‘liked’ each other, they can chat via the app to find out further information and discuss the possibility of swapping homes.

This innovative idea allows young renters to find property far more easily and cheaply, how else could technology be harnessed to make the housing market more accessible? Could this way of home exchange be the start of a new trend, by which estate agents are replaced by technological alternatives?