Unilodgers
Unilodgers (House of Student) is an online marketplace connecting university students with property owners offering student accommodation across six English-speaking countries. The platform lists 1.5M+ rooms in 1,000+ cities, serves students free of charge, and monetizes via commissions from property partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Unilodgers does
Unilodgers, operating commercially as House of Student, is an online marketplace for student accommodation. The platform connects international and domestic university students searching for housing with property owners and landlords offering student rooms, operating a self-serve direct-to-consumer model where the service is free for students and monetization occurs through commissions paid by property partners on the supply side. As of the source data, the platform lists 1.5M+ student rooms across 1,000+ cities in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, and claims to have served 10M+ students from 150+ countries since founding in 2009.
The product surface consists of three components: the core House of Student booking platform (search by city, university, or property name, with free cancellations, pay-later options, and 24/7 support), IVEY.AI (an AI-powered concierge chatbot assisting with property discovery and booking), and Juice (a referral rewards program for student-to-student virality). Distribution combines organic SEO and direct web traffic with a B2B "List with Us" supply-acquisition channel for landlords and property owners, plus the Juice referral program. The company maintains an 11-50 employee headcount, has raised $9M in a 2019 Series 2 round from Lightspeed Venture Partners and Lumis Partners, and is headquartered in San Francisco while operating across six English-speaking study destinations.
The business model is a classic two-sided marketplace monetized through supply-side commissions: students transact for free with a lowest-price guarantee and no hidden fees, while property owners pay for access to demand. Geographic reach and inventory depth (1.5M+ rooms, 1,000+ cities) form the core scale claim, but no revenue, GMV, take rate, or booking volume is disclosed in the source data, leaving financial scale as an inferred estimate.
Unilodgers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Unilodgers
- Legal name
- House of Student
- Website
- https://unilodgers.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Unilodgers (House of Student) is an online marketplace connecting university students with property owners offering student accommodation across six English-speaking countries. The platform lists 1.5M+ rooms in 1,000+ cities, serves students free of charge, and monetizes via commissions from property partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Unilodgers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Student Accommodation Marketplace
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (Aggregators) (EDAIALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Student Housing Ancillary Services (Utilities Setup, Furnishings, Deposits/Guarantors, Cleaning) (EDAIALAJ)
Keywords
Where Unilodgers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Unilodgers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Platform Commission from Property Partners: Revenue generated from property owners and landlords who list their student accommodation on the platform. Service is free for students, with monetization occurring on the supply side.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free service for students - no booking fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Unilodgers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Unilodgers operates an online marketplace (branded as House of Student) that connects students with property owners and landlords offering student accommodation. Students can search, compare, and book vetted student rooms free of charge across 1.5+ million listings in 1000+ cities, with the platform monetizing via commissions from property partners. An AI-powered concierge (IVEY.AI) assists users 24/7 throughout search and booking.
Product overview
House of Student operates as a unified student accommodation booking platform that connects students with over 1.5 million student rooms across 1000+ cities in UK, USA, Canada, NZ, and Australia. The platform is supported by IVEY.AI, an AI-powered concierge providing 24/7 student assistance, and Juice, a referral rewards program. Students can search by city, university, or property name, with services including free cancellations, pay-later options, and mental health support throughout their tenancy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IVEY.AI: AI-powered concierge service that assists students in finding and booking accommodation.
Products and services
- House of Student Marketplace Online marketplace enabling students to search, compare, and book vetted student accommodation across 1.5+ million rooms in 1000+ cities in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. Free for students, with pay-later and free-cancellation options available.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10+ million students served from 150+ countries
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Unilodgers
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Unilodgers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Unilodgers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Unilodgers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UniAcco: International student accommodation and admissions advisory platform with booking across UK, Ireland, Australia, USA, and Canada. Directly comparable footprint to Unilodgers and a similar target customer of inbound international students seeking housing near partner universities.
- Student.com: One of the largest direct competitors in the international student housing aggregator space. Student.com matches students with vetted rooms near universities globally and operates a comparable marketplace commission model targeting the same international student demographic.
- HousingAnywhere: European-based accommodation marketplace serving international students and young professionals. Operates across 100+ cities with a comparable two-sided model; overlaps directly with Unilodgers in European study destinations such as the UK, Netherlands, and Germany.
- Casita: Student-focused accommodation platform operating primarily in the UK and Ireland. Directly competes for student bookings and landlord supply in core Unilodgers markets with similar listing and booking functionality.
- Nestpick: Global furnished rental marketplace covering student and professional housing in 100+ cities. Comparable aggregation model with mid- to long-term rental focus; competes with Unilodgers for international student demand in major study destinations.
- Amberstudent: Direct competitor operating a student accommodation marketplace with strong presence in the US, UK, and India. Amber offers a similar booking experience and also generates revenue from property owner commissions, frequently cited alongside Unilodgers as a category leader.
- University Living: India-headquartered student housing marketplace with global inventory across 100+ countries. Competes head-to-head with Unilodgers for international student bookings and uses a similar commission-based monetization model on property partners.
Broad incumbents
- Rightmove: UK's largest property portal with broad listings including student rentals. Not student-specialized but represents a large, well-capitalized incumbent that landlords may use in parallel; potential long-term threat if it deepens student-specific features.
Emerging players
- Spotahome: Mid-to-long-term online rental platform operating across Europe and select international cities. Overlaps with Unilodgers in the student/professional rental segment and uses online booking with verified listings, though it is not student-specific.
- Movein (by Rentomojo / Stanza Living adjacent): India-focused managed student housing operator (Stanza Living) that combines PBSA inventory with an online booking layer. Partial overlap with Unilodgers' marketplace model but with owned-operations rather than pure aggregation; relevant for cross-region comparison of unit economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Unilodgers social profiles
Digital presenceUnilodgers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Unilodgers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Unilodgers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Unilodgers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Unilodgers
What does Unilodgers do?
Unilodgers operates an online marketplace (branded as House of Student) that connects students with property owners and landlords offering student accommodation. Students can search, compare, and book vetted student rooms free of charge across 1.5+ million listings in 1000+ cities, with the platform monetizing via commissions from property partners. An AI-powered concierge (IVEY.AI) assists users 24/7 throughout search and booking.
Is Unilodgers a public or private company?
Unilodgers is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Unilodgers founded?
Unilodgers was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Unilodgers based?
Unilodgers is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Unilodgers make money?
One revenue line is on record: platform Commission from Property Partners.
Who are Unilodgers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UniAcco, Student.com, HousingAnywhere, Casita, Nestpick, Amberstudent and University Living. Rightmove is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Spotahome and Movein (by Rentomojo / Stanza Living adjacent).
Does Unilodgers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Unilodgers.
What industry is Unilodgers in?
Unilodgers's product category is Student Accommodation Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAIALAE, Private Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (Aggregators), with a secondary code of EDAIALAJ, Student Housing Ancillary Services (Utilities Setup, Furnishings, Deposits/Guarantors, Cleaning). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.