We provide a web platform that connects renters and landlords in the affordable housing market. Our platform allows renters to leave reviews of landlords, landlords to leave reviews of renters, forces landlords to list whether units accept section 8 vouchers, and forces landlords to keep their listings updated on the platform.

 

We partner with Public Housing Authorities, non-profits, and other government agencies to provide data services related to affordable housing and section 8 housing. PHAs across the United States already contract with private partners to provide data services on a contractual basis. Currently, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority contracts with GoSection8.com, which provides a platform with limited functionality, a limited data service to CMHA, and won their contract with CMHA because no competitors tendered a competing bid. Once we partner with PHA’s, they would direct prospective renters and landlords to our platform, since they are the ultimate point of contact for renters.

 

Our business model is a for-profit social venture based on PHAs and other partner agencies paying Renter Mentor a monthly data service fee in exchange for a range of data services we build atop our rental platform, including rent reasonableness assessments, analysis of trends on affordable housing, unit quality assessments, location trends, number of units, and geographic proximity of Section-8 units to jobs and social services. Additionally, We provide the option for premium landlord accounts, which enable landlords the ability to see all tenant reviews.

 

Gosection8.com currently has a monopoly in this space. It is the only official online resource recommended to tenants by the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA). However, it is inadequate because:1) there’s outdated, incomplete information (for example, it’s not required for landlords to list whether they accept Section 8 vouchers.) 2) here’s no accountability from either side: no way to view either tenant or landlord history or reviews. 3) There is a lack of landlords using the platform because there is no incentive for them to use it.

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Gosection8 has a two-year contract with CMHA, but it can be bought out at any time and currently nobody else is bidding against them. Sophisticated competitors (like Zillow and Hotpads) are uninterested in this space and do not cater to this market. In fact, HotPads redirects you to gosection8.com. In addition, these platforms don’t offer two-way rating options for landlords, tenants, and units.