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South African property rentals startup HouseME has partnered online classifieds website Gumtree to make its offering available to all landlords renting their properties through the Gumtree platform.

Founded in Cape Town in 2016, HouseME uses smart technology to connect and vet tenants, collect rent and digitally coordinate the complete viewing, administration and payment process.

Use of its platform costs landlords as little as 2.5 per cent of rental, with HouseME also offering a three-month rental guarantee which ensures landlords are paid on time every month, regardless of when the tenant makes the payment. It has already achieved a nationwide footprint and grown twelve-fold.

Landlords will now have access to all of the benefits of HouseME through the Gumtree platform, meaning Gumtree is now able to ensure landlords are connected with prospective tenants faster and through a rigorous vetting process which reduces the risk for property owners.

Ben Shaw, HouseME co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO), believes the collaboration will offer users of the country’s biggest online classifieds website peace of mind.

“HouseME is excited to extend further value to South African landlords and assist in reducing the risks associated with property rental – of which late payments, defaulters and managing deposits are just a few,” he said.

“Our rigorous vetting process reduces risk for our landlords, ensuring they have quality tenants – a core reason that our product fits so well with Gumtree’s objectives. We are excited about this collaboration, and look forward to working with Gumtree as we serve a broad part of the market together.”

Claire Cobbledick, Gumtree South Africa general manager, said the site has 36,000 property rental listings, with all landlords on the platform standing to benefit.

“We know that linking up with HouseME will make life a lot easier, and more profitable, for many of the landlords who use Gumtree,” she said.

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