Housy
Housy is a Berlin-area PropTech marketplace that reverses the German apartment search by letting landlords invite pre-matched tenants from a free tenant profile database, monetizing through landlord subscriptions on a matching-algorithm platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersKleinmachnow, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Housy does
Housy GmbH is a Berlin-area PropTech startup that operates a two-sided rental marketplace under the proposition "match instead of search." The platform inverts the traditional German rental workflow: instead of tenants competing for listings through mass viewings, landlords search a database of pre-registered tenant profiles and invite matched candidates directly to viewings. The Tenant Platform is free and supports one-click registration via Facebook or Xing, while the Landlord Portal is monetized through subscription tiers (Prepaid, Basis, Pro, Enterprise) billed annually with auto-renewal. Payment processing is handled via SEPA direct debit, PayPal, Sofortüberweisung, and credit card.
The core technical asset is the Housy Matching Algorithm, which calculates conformity scores between tenant preferences (location, size, room count, price, must-have features) and landlord criteria. Housy's stated scale signals include 41,239 tenant search profiles in the database, 987 apartments scanned per tenant search session, and a self-reported 73% reduction in time-to-rental for landlords. All data is stored exclusively in German data centers that are ISO/IEC 27001 and PCI DSS certified, and the platform is positioned as GDPR-compliant.
The company is co-founded by Sebastian Melchert and Raymond Naseem, who also serves as Managing Director (Geschäftsführer). It is registered as Housy GmbH at Amtsgericht Potsdam (HRB 31151 P) with headquarters in Kleinmachnow and additional presence in Berlin (Rungestraße) and Schönefeld. The company has raised a single disclosed funding round of approximately $873,124 from Brandenburg Kapital in July 2018, and operates with a small team (1-10 employees). Operations remain concentrated in the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area with no disclosed expansion into additional German cities or international markets.
Housy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Housy
- Legal name
- Housy GmbH
- Website
- https://housy.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Housy is a Berlin-area PropTech marketplace that reverses the German apartment search by letting landlords invite pre-matched tenants from a free tenant profile database, monetizing through landlord subscriptions on a matching-algorithm platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Housy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Apartment Rental Marketplace
- NAICS
- Rental and Leasing Services (532)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation (BPAJALAJ)
Keywords
Where Housy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kleinmachnow
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Housy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Landlord Subscription / License Fee: Landlords pay a license fee to access the Housy platform and receive matched tenant candidates. The fee is described as performance-based, transparent, and without cure/no pay. Payment options include SEPA direct debit, PayPal, and credit card (MasterCard/VISA). Billing is prepaid or based on individualized offers with automatic renewal for annual plans.
- Tenant Access (Free): Tenants use the platform completely free of charge. The service is funded entirely by landlord-side license fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Tenant Portal - Free |
| Subscription | Annual | Landlord Portal - Subscription Plans |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Housy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Housy GmbH operates a two-sided PropTech marketplace that inverts the traditional German rental search: landlords post properties and use an algorithm to proactively invite pre-matched tenants to viewings, eliminating mass open houses. Tenants create a free anonymous search profile (location, size, rooms, price) and receive exclusive personalized apartment offers from landlords, while landlords pay a recurring license fee (subscription tiers) for access to a ranked candidate pool, integrated chat, and a digital rental workflow. The free Tenant Portal and the paid Landlord Portal are distinct products served by the same underlying matching engine and are accessible exclusively at housy.de.
Product overview
Housy operates as a dual-sided PropTech marketplace platform consisting of two interconnected products: the Tenant Platform and the Landlord Portal. The Tenant Platform allows apartment seekers to create free search profiles and receive personalized offers from landlords, while the Landlord Portal enables property owners to list properties and access matching tenant candidates. The core Housy Matching System powers both sides by calculating match scores between tenant preferences and landlord requirements. Additional features include anonymous search profiles, integrated messaging for tenant-landlord communication, and document exchange capabilities. The platform is free for tenants while landlords pay for premium access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tenant Platform A free web portal where apartment seekers in Germany create an anonymous search profile (location, minimum size, rooms, maximum price, must-haves) and are matched by the Housy algorithm to exclusive apartment offers. Tenants then chat with landlords, schedule viewings, and exchange documents, with no mass viewings and no fees.
- Landlord Portal A subscription portal for private and small-commercial landlords to publish property listings, define tenant criteria, receive a ranked pool of algorithm-matched candidates, invite only matched tenants to viewings, chat with prospects, and run a fully digital rental workflow including document exchange and rental agreement templates. Plans include Prepaid, Basis, Pro, and Enterprise tiers on annual contracts with automatic renewal.
Quantifiable outcome
- 73% faster rental process for landlords
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Housy
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Housy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability2 records
Feature1 record
Housy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Berlin PartnercoreHousy became an official Berlin Partner in October 2018, joining a network of Berlin-based companies supported by Berlin's economic development agency. This partnership connects Housy with Berlin's innovation ecosystem and provides access to resources and networks for growth.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Housy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- WG-Gesucht: Germany's leading shared-housing and apartment rental platform. Competes directly for the same tenant and private landlord audience, particularly in Berlin and other university cities.
- Rentberry: Global rental platform that combines tenant applications, transparent bidding, and landlord-tenant matching. Operates in Germany and competes for the same digital-first rental audience with similar algorithm-based matching.
Emerging players
- McMakler: Tech-enabled German real estate brokerage combining digital matching with on-the-ground agents. Targets similar landlord and seller pain points as Housy but with full-service brokerage rather than a self-serve marketplace.
- Berloa: Berlin-focused rental platform that also emphasizes matching-based tenant-landlord connections. Direct overlap with Housy's geographic focus on the Berlin rental market.
- Immobilo: AI-driven German rental and property marketplace emphasizing personalized matching. Closest emerging competitor in tenant-algorithm-matching positioning.
Others
- Zillow: US-based global category leader in residential real estate marketplaces. Useful as a benchmark for marketplace economics and matching-algorithm capabilities at scale, though not a direct competitor in Germany.
Broad incumbents
- ImmoWelt: Major German property portal offering rental and purchase listings across residential and commercial real estate. Established incumbent with broad coverage that competes for landlord listing supply.
- Accentro: German residential real estate company active in apartment sales and rentals. Comparable Berlin residential market exposure though operating as a property owner rather than a marketplace.
- Immobilienscout24: Germany's largest real estate marketplace for rentals, sales, and new developments. Direct substitute for landlord demand, with vastly greater supply liquidity and a freemium model Housy competes against.
Regional players
- Nestor (formerly Nestpick): European furnished and serviced apartment marketplace. Comparable marketplace model for cross-border tenants but focused on furnished/mid-term rentals rather than Housy's primary long-term residential focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Housy social profiles
Digital presenceHousy compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Housy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Housy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Housy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Housy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Housy
What does Housy do?
Housy GmbH operates a two-sided PropTech marketplace that inverts the traditional German rental search: landlords post properties and use an algorithm to proactively invite pre-matched tenants to viewings, eliminating mass open houses. Tenants create a free anonymous search profile (location, size, rooms, price) and receive exclusive personalized apartment offers from landlords, while landlords pay a recurring license fee (subscription tiers) for access to a ranked candidate pool, integrated chat, and a digital rental workflow. The free Tenant Portal and the paid Landlord Portal are distinct products served by the same underlying matching engine and are accessible exclusively at housy.de.
Is Housy a public or private company?
Housy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Housy founded?
Housy was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Housy based?
Housy is headquartered in Kleinmachnow, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Housy make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Landlord Subscription / License Fee is the primary driver. The others are tenant Access (Free).
Who are Housy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are WG-Gesucht and Rentberry. Emerging players are McMakler, Berloa and Immobilo. Zillow is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are ImmoWelt, Accentro and Immobilienscout24. Nestor (formerly Nestpick) is listed as a regional player.
Does Housy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Housy.
What industry is Housy in?
Housy's product category is Online Apartment Rental Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJALAJ, Specialty & Adaptive-Use Tenant Representation. Its NAICS code is 532 and its SIC code is 6531.