Housing.com introduces allied services platform Edge

Online real estate marketplace Housing.com on Tuesday said it has introduced a full-stack rental and allied services platform called 'Housing Edge' to enable digitisation of multiple services that tenants and landlords can use. 

The services include packages of online rent payment, online rental agreements, tenant verification, packing and moving, furniture rental, home interiors and home services, as per a statement.

While most Housing Edge services are available in Delhi, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune, the company said it plans to extend the offering to other undisclosed cities.

“We have already changed the way property transactions take place in India, by way of acting as a one-stop solution for a buyer. With an aim towards replicating the same model in the allied services area, the company is offering innovative technology solutions...” Dhruv Agarwala, group CEO of Housing.com, Makaan.com, and PropTiger.com, said. 

Housing.com, which raised $400,000 in a growth funding round from its Singapore-based parent Elara Technologies in May, decided to start the online rent agreement feature on Housing Edge in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that imposed tough restrictions on movement, the statement said.

Since the decision, its services have been rendered in over 80 cities across 14 states in the pilot stage, the statement said.

About 2,000 users have made use of the online rent agreement facility, so far. “Since the response from users has exceeded expectations, the company plans to launch these services in more states,” the statement said.

Through the ‘Pay Rent’ feature on Housing Edge, the company has facilitated over 2,00,000 transactions in the past seven months, and has processed pay rent requests exceeding Rs 600 crore (about $82 million as per current exchange rate).

According to the firm, over 1,000 users have availed of the services in the test phase that was launched in Bengaluru, under the offerings for tenants. 

Housing.com also said that it has tied up with brands such as Urban Company, RentoMojo, Livspace, HappyLocate and AuthBridge to provide renters assisted services on Housing Edge.

The tie up with RentoMojo, an online furniture and appliances services provider, offers tenants a wide range of products, including furniture and home appliances, to rent.

The partnership with home services brand Urban Company services customers on home maintenance needs such as deep cleaning, plumbing and painting, among others.

The partnership with Livspace, a home interiors and renovation platform, will help customers design interiors for all rooms.

The tie-up with AuthBridge, which has experience in providing identity management and verification products, will help home and paying guest accommodation owners verify the identity and do background checks of potential tenants.

The tie-up with HappyLocate, a relocation platform that has partnered with over 25 packers and movers in India that service over 16,000 pin codes across the country, will offer consumers access to moving services.

Housing.com competes with deep-pocketed players in the country such as NoBroker, which has also opened up for business in allied services such as society living management business.