Housi, a Brazilian subscription-based housing platform, has launched a housing voucher, that is, the possibility for companies to offer the startup’s services as a benefit to employees. The amount that the company would pay in transportation vouchers (obligatory by law for employees contracted under Brazilian labor law) could be earmarked to cover part of the rent expenses through the platform.
“Since our beginning, we have a corporate front, and we do B2B business. So, the idea of offering Housi as a benefit to employees came naturally. (…) We understand that housing is migrating to service and, therefore, we are giving new meaning to the way we live and democratize housing,” said Alexandre Frankel, CEO of Housi, in a statement to the press.
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Housi currently has over BRL 10 billion in properties under its management (there are more than 200 buildings in São Paulo alone) in 50 Brazilian cities and 100,000 registered users in its base. The plan is to close this year with BRL 30 billion in real estate and 500,000 people registe“ed. “We are on a scale of operations in an ascending and fast curve, with great potential for new partnerships. By the end of the year, we intend to triple in size and expand to 80 new ci”ies,” Frankel told LABS last March, in an exclusive interview.
Housi wants to debut in a city in another Latin American country in 2021.
How does Housi work
The platform says that signing up for a property in any of the 50 cities where it operates takes less than a minute. After choosing the apartment and the period of stay, which can vary from four days to 36 months, with the possibility of renewal, the user only needs to inform the payment details.
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Housi does not require guarantor or other typical rental guarantees.
All units come already furnished, with appliances and bedding, table and bath. Accounts such as condominium fees, property tax, water, electricity, gas, wi-fi and cable TV are also part of the subscription fee. The platform also offers cleaning and maintenance of the units so that they are always renewed. The resident only needs to request the service through the application.
