Foreign students start up new rentals flatshare site

A new website that helps prospective tenants in London to find flatmates has been launched by two foreigners who came to the UK to study.

Faceroom.co.uk, the brainchild of Eliana D’Alessandro and Doriana Carlucci, is a free service that provides a more personal way of finding the ‘perfect’ person for a spare room, flat or living space.

Available in five European languages, it can be used for either short-stay accommodation or long-term rentals.

Eliana, 26, who is originally from southern Italy, said: “Faceroom.co.uk was actually created from our personal experiences. As foreign students, finding a place to live when we first arrived in the capital was a hassle. Searching for the best property, in the right area, at the right price, wasn’t easy and it certainly wasn’t much fun.

“Dealing with estate agencies and letting agents was confusing and even intimidating, and then when we had to consider multi-cultural flatmates, living in a flat share in London was one of the most stressful processes.”

Last year, once they had completed their degrees in financial management and entrepreneurial management, they started analysing the London rental market. They say they soon realised that by relieving any potential pain for tenants, they could also help landlords rent out their properties efficiently and economically.

Doriana, 26, said: “We set up a smart engine system that automatically matches properties with compatible flatmates based on personality traits and needs. We believe that our property portal offers a variety of tools that can help landlords and room-seekers to find their perfect matches.

“Users can either look for the best type of accommodation that matches their preferences and see the profile of those already interested, or they can form a group with other compatible room seekers, and together look for the property in a chosen area and budget range.”

The site currently covers only the London area, but the company hopes to expand into other major cities very soon.

http://www.faceroom.co.uk