Sabbatical Homes
SabbaticalHomes is a bootstrapped, founder-operated online marketplace founded in 2000 that connects academics, scholars, writers, and artists with temporary home rentals, exchanges, and house-sitting arrangements across 50+ countries via a self-serve platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersManhattan Beach, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Sabbatical Homes does
SabbaticalHomes is a privately held, founder-operated online marketplace founded in 2000 by Nadege Conger that connects academics, scholars, writers, and artists with temporary housing worldwide. The platform, headquartered in El Segundo, California, operates under a self-serve product-led growth model in which verified members post home rental, home exchange, house sitting, home sharing, or tenant listings and arrange matches directly with one another. Access is gated by academic email verification, and community trust is reinforced through a proprietary Trust Score reputation system that awards points for listing, matching, reviewing, and engagement while preserving member anonymity.
Sabbatical Homes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sabbatical Homes
- Legal name
- SabbaticalHomes
- Website
- https://sabbaticalhomes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SabbaticalHomes is a bootstrapped, founder-operated online marketplace founded in 2000 that connects academics, scholars, writers, and artists with temporary home rentals, exchanges, and house-sitting arrangements across 50+ countries via a self-serve platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sabbatical Homes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Housing Marketplace
- NAICS
- Rental and Leasing Services (532)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Student & Academic Term Monthly Housing (THAMAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Student-Focused Co-Living (Flexible, Community-Led) (THAMAGAI)
Keywords
Where Sabbatical Homes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manhattan Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Sabbatical Homes 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
- Annual Listing Fees: Annual subscription fees charged to homeowners and tenants for posting listings on the platform.
- Made-a-Match Fees: Transaction fees due from both homeowners and tenants for each match arranged through the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual listing subscription |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Sabbatical Homes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sabbatical Homes operates a web-based two-sided marketplace that connects academics, scholars, writers, and artists with temporary housing through five core service types: home rental listings, home exchange listings, house sitting, home sharing, and tenant listings. Members post listings, browse by university or city, check references, and arrange matches directly on the platform, with the company monetizing via annual listing subscriptions and per-match transaction fees (Made-a-Match Fees) charged to both homeowners and tenants. All rental payments are transacted directly between members.
Product overview
SabbaticalHomes operates as a unified web-based platform connecting academics, scholars, writers, and artists with temporary housing solutions. The core portfolio consists of Home Rental Listings, Home Exchange Listings, House Sitting, Home Sharing, and Tenant Listings services—all accessible through a single website. Supporting features include the Trust Score reputation system and Made-a-Match fee service for facilitated connections. The platform also includes a University Off-Campus Housing Directory for location-based searching. The company was founded in 2000 and maintains partnerships with organizations like HERC (Higher Education Recruitment Consortium) to serve the academic community.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Home Rental Listings
Companies that use Sabbatical Homes
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sabbatical Homes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Sabbatical Homes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC)corePartnership announced October 10, 2019 between SabbaticalHomes.com and HERC to serve the same academic communities. HERC provides over 40,000 job opportunities and career advice to members; SabbaticalHomes provides housing solutions for academics relocating for new positions. HERC serves 700+ member institutions and focuses on diversity and inclusion in academia.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sabbatical Homes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HomeExchange.com: HomeExchange.com is one of the world's largest home-exchange platforms, enabling members to swap homes for vacations and extended stays. It is directly comparable to SabbaticalHomes' Home Exchange product, serving a similar use case of cost-free temporary accommodations, though with a broader travel audience rather than an academic focus.
- Love Home Swap: Love Home Swap is a subscription-based home exchange network popular with academics, professionals, and frequent travelers seeking reciprocal stays. Its point-based exchange system and member community closely parallel SabbaticalHomes' home exchange offering and trust-building model.
Broad incumbents
- Airbnb: Airbnb is the dominant global short-term rental marketplace, offering monthly and long-stay options that overlap directly with sabbatical housing demand. While not academic-focused, it competes for the same temporary-housing dollar and offers superior mobile UX, integrated payments, and supply depth.
- Vrbo: Vrbo (owned by Expedia Group) is a major vacation rental marketplace focused on whole-home stays for families and longer visits. It overlaps with SabbaticalHomes on the rental side, particularly for academics seeking furnished homes near universities for extended research trips.
Emerging players
- Furnished Finder: Furnished Finder is a U.S.-focused marketplace specializing in 30+ day furnished rentals, initially built for traveling healthcare professionals but increasingly used by academics on sabbaticals. It directly competes for medium-term furnished-housing demand with a more modern, mobile-friendly interface.
- Blueground: Blueground offers professionally-managed, furnished apartments available for 30+ day stays in major global cities. It targets a similar mobility-driven audience (relocating professionals, visiting faculty) with a tech-forward booking experience and integrated services.
- Spotahome: Spotahome is an online mid-term rental platform focused on stays of 1-6 months across European cities, with verified listings and online booking. It competes for the same academic-temporary-housing demand with a more modern UX and broader European coverage.
- AcademicKeys: AcademicKeys is an academic job and resources platform serving faculty, researchers, and post-docs, with adjacent housing resources and links. It overlaps with SabbaticalHomes on the academic-mobility audience, especially for those relocating for new positions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sabbatical Homes social profiles
Digital presenceSabbatical Homes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sabbatical Homes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Sabbatical Homes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sabbatical Homes 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 Sabbatical Homes
What does Sabbatical Homes do?
Sabbatical Homes operates a web-based two-sided marketplace that connects academics, scholars, writers, and artists with temporary housing through five core service types: home rental listings, home exchange listings, house sitting, home sharing, and tenant listings. Members post listings, browse by university or city, check references, and arrange matches directly on the platform, with the company monetizing via annual listing subscriptions and per-match transaction fees (Made-a-Match Fees) charged to both homeowners and tenants. All rental payments are transacted directly between members.
Is Sabbatical Homes a public or private company?
Sabbatical Homes is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sabbatical Homes founded?
Sabbatical Homes was founded in 2000. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sabbatical Homes based?
Sabbatical Homes is headquartered in Manhattan Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sabbatical Homes make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Annual Listing Fees are the primary driver. The others are made-a-Match Fees.
Who are Sabbatical Homes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HomeExchange.com and Love Home Swap. Broad incumbents are Airbnb and Vrbo. Emerging players are Furnished Finder, Blueground, Spotahome and AcademicKeys.
Does Sabbatical Homes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sabbatical Homes.
What industry is Sabbatical Homes in?
Sabbatical Homes's product category is Academic Housing Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAMAFAH, Student & Academic Term Monthly Housing, with a secondary code of THAMAGAI, Student-Focused Co-Living (Flexible, Community-Led). Its NAICS code is 532 and its SIC code is 7000.