The Property Apps That Have Taken Lessons From Tinder

Manchester Evening News

In many ways, the best thing to have come out of Tinder is the format. There's a certain cynicism to the idea of dating becoming a marketplace, but sifting through profiles, swiping in one direction to save them and the other to reject them is applicable to so many other, more appropriate themes. One in particular stands out - property.

Take it from me - researching a new place to live is a waking nightmare. Many of the sites are clunky, counter-intuitive and whatever vital piece of information you need, it probably won't be there. Actually contacting the renting landlord or property seller is even worse, since many of them use an email portal, so you just have to accept that you might not hear back for weeks. For this reason, being able to match up buyer and seller interests would certainly streamline the whole process, and that's the trend that has been steadily developing.

technuovo.com

The first one to really push the boat out with this is Ruumi, which is set to launch in London later this month. The app allows renters and those in the market for roommates to build profiles with all their specific interests logged, at which point they are 'matched' with others that meet those requirements. Presumably if it's London based, the most common requirement will be that you have money to burn. Of course, the potential housemate (or even landlord) will also have to register an interest in you before discussions can begin, which would hopefully rule out the possibility of getting as far as viewing, only to be told you aren't a good fit for the room.

The Telegraph

The arguably more impressive one is the Zoopla-powered Knockerapp, which allows you to swipe through images of properties literally as you walk down the street, with location tools figuring out where you are and feeding you information about nearby properties that are on the market. The swiping is certainly less instrumental in this case, but it still works as a means of keeping the whole process more streamlined.

In either case, being able to more efficiently canvas for a new home via social media/dating app tools strikes me as a far more practical use for that functionality than many of the actual platforms that gave rise to these trends in the first place. Meeting people online so that you can befriend them or see them naked is all well and good but both of those things are far better done in the real world. You're not going to find a room to rent by striking up a conversation with a stranger in Costa.

Callum Davies

Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF

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