Hi there guys!
What's Rentberry?
Rentberry is a new-to-blockchain rental housing platform. Rentberry is not a typical blockchain start-up, in that they already have an established platform and users (tenants and landlords). They are relatively new however, only going live early 2017, and the blockchain leveraged upgrade of their platform has yet to be implemented. Their business currently caters to cities in the U.S.A.
The purpose of Rentberry’s Initial Token Sale (ITS), and conversion to blockchain is to (1) raise capital to expand internationally, and (2) reduce inefficiencies, inconveniences, and insecurities present in the rental housing market today.
Rentberry’s use case is that although the number of renters has substantially increased, with the average person renting until 40 years of age, there remains a number of problems in the current rental housing ecosystem. These include: (1) tedious rental applications, (2) frequent bidding wars with other prospective tenants without transparency on the current bid, (3), uncomfortable face-to-face negotiations, and (4) frozen security deposit assets regardless of tenant’s credentials and track record, to name a few.
Rentberry claims to make this process less costly, more convenient, secure, and transparent.
Less costly: Agents and brokers sometimes charge additional fees for minimal services, and landlords for tenants to freeze thousands in rental security deposits. Rentberry will eliminate the need for agents and brokers by allowing peer to peer rental negotiations, agreements, and executions. Rentberry will also provide a crowdsourced security deposit network which will effectively unfreeze security deposits to generate interest.
Convenient: Many practices still involve posting listings or classified ads in local newspapers. Websites are available such as Craiglist, Zillow, Rightmove, Zoopla, but provide limited information on properties, and no support for contracts rent collection, maintenance requests etc. Rentberry will provide a platform with all services in one place, including screening prospective tenants, negotiating, e-signing contracts, paying rent, and hiring third-party providers. Landlords can reject or accept applications in a single click, while providing them with market data to make educated decisions about pricing. The same goes for tenants.
Transparent: Tenants will be able to see other bids on the property. They will also be able to adjust their bids, making this a true auctionary platform. Tenants and landlords will be able to rate each other by submitting reviews. Both parties can access each other’s rental activity via the blockchain. Credit reports, background checks, social media, bankruptcy records, eviction history, and past due account information will also be combined with this information and processed by Rentberry’s backend scoring system to create a tenant / landlord score from 1,000-10,000.
Secure: The platform will be transported to the blockchain, and BERRY used a means of transacting. Scheduling, internal communications, renter and landlord profiles and scores, will all be stored securely and cryptographically on the blockchain. Tenant history will only be available to landlords upon application for a rental, when the tenant cryptographically signs the application with their private key.
Other proprietary features:
Syndication: Using BERRY tokens, landlords can promote their listing not only on Rentberry.com but on additional rental sites that join the ‘Rentberry syndicate’.
Crowdsourced Security Deposit Network: Members of Rentberry will be able to utilize BERRY to fund other tenants’ rental security deposits as a type of loan. They will have access to tenant history, information and scores. The benefit to funders will be in the form of interest (3-7%) and ‘other’ rewards for tenants. Unfortunately it does not seem that Rentberry has fully established how this will work, and why funders would want to lock up their BERRY in this investment, which may be subject not only to BERRY currency value fluctuations, but dependent on the tenant not causing damage. An investor could make 3-7% with more safety in the stock market, or much more with riskier crypto investments. Additionally, not having tenants pay a deposit might remove some of the incentive for them to take good care of their rental.
Auctioning technology: Rentberry believes its technology used to negotiate bidding is intellectual property and is currently filing for patent protection. The technology allegedly will allow for landlords to appropriately price their property effectively in any market conditions, and tenants the ability to seamlessly and transparently negotiate and compete with other tenants. Of note, the application cost for a rental is 1000 BERRY. Any successful rental will have 950 BERRY go towards initial payment, and 50 to Rentberry as a fee. All unsuccessful applications will have funds returned.
Integrations with blockchain and other companies: Rentberry mentions potential collaboration with CIVIC for biometric identity verification, and APII for verified education and professional records. They also mention integration with third party service providers and utility companies to provide seamless utility bill payments. These are purely hypothetical at the time of writing.
Smart locks: Team is currently working on smart lock technology that can be used by landlords to unlock a rental for a potential tenant to view the property. Identity would be confirmed by CIVIC, and the previous issue in this space of electronic lock battery life would be solved by using power from the tenants connected smartphone.
Data generation and utilization: The Rentberry platform will utilize a common theme in blockchain space: data decentralization. The platform, with all data stored on the platform, will offer tenants and landlords the option of commercializing said data to be accessed by third parties. This will be under the control of the user, compliant with security and privacy laws, and will reward users in BERRY. Not noted, is what contact information will be provided to these companies, if users opt for that level of data disclosure. We all know that once your email is out there, there is very little control over whose hands it ends up in. Therefore, this information would ideally be conducted within the Rentberry platform.
Usecase for the BERRY token:
The BERRY token will be used for all payments on the platform. Landlords, after collecting rent in BERRY, can pay for promotion, invest in security deposits, and hire maintenance providers. Tenants can make rental payments in BERRY. Thus fees associated with credit cards, wire transfers, bounced checks, etc will be removed, and security of transaction with the immutable blockchain ledger.
Why i think Rentberry is the next big thing?
1.) Non-Transparent
Rental Experience
The time-consuming, costly and unnerving process of finding an apartment includes bidding wars with other prospective tenants and uncomfortable face-to-face negotiations with landlords.
2.) Outdated
Rental Platforms
Global practices still include listings in the form of simple online classified ads which provide limited rental experience and essentially no value in terms of application process.
3.) Limited
Investment Opportunities
More than $35trln in the bank accounts around the world generating only on average 0.1%. People have limited access to investment alternatives that often have min thresholds and requirements.
4.) $500bn
Frozen in Rental Deposits
Tenants freeze millions of dollars in rental security deposits every time they rent. There is no internationally recognized insurance or savings that could be applied to quality renters. So if Rentberry is able to solve this huge problem, i have no doubt that it will become the largest proptech industry ever.
Official Website : https://rentberry.cryptonomos.com/
Official Telegram : https://t.me/joinchat/E6YjkQ2yQwBk9WaP0q-zMQ
You can check all their potential investor at their website! Hope these helps! Happy investing guys! =)