Millennials ditch the baggage, rent furniture on the move

With the hectic pace that city slickers have to endure, buying furniture is now passe. Renting it online is a better, quicker and more viable option

For most city people, who are either working or are short on space, buying furniture isn't a viable option. Gone are the days when you would rent out furniture pieces like a sofa set, bed, wardrobe, etc from your local furnishing store; the internet now is full of easy-on-the-pocket and smart online furniture rentals from where you can rent at affordable prices. 28-year-old advertising professional Krupa Mehta who recently got married and has shifted to a rented place along with her husband says, "We had initially decided to go in for second-hand furniture, however, we chanced upon some online furniture shops from where one can rent almost brand new options at really reasonable rates. We ordered for a single bed, a double-door wardrobe, a three-set chest drawer and a mattress, all for ` 1,186 for six months!"


Smart options and classy designs
For most working professionals, furnishing their house gets tricky due to lack of time. Hemant Sanghvi, a 48-year-old real estate consultant says, "I am mostly out through the day and only get back home late in the night. I work on most weekends as well with no time in hand to head out and look for furnishings. Online furniture rental has made it easy for me to sit in my office and just browse through several options that are available. I have rented a leather sofa set for `449 a month. Had I bought one, it would have easily gone up to `70,000."

Easy on the pocket
For those who do not wish to buy expensive pieces of furniture, renting one is convenient. Husband and wife duo, Abhishek and Shonali Ghosh who've recently moved into their own house in Malad say, "We had been staying in a rented accommodation in Worli and the house was fully furnished, so we didn't have to worry about buying furniture. However, after we got our own place, we decided to invest in furniture. But, it was exceeding our budget, so that's when a friend suggested that we rent instead of buying. Renting furniture is actually working out much cheaper."


Furniture for your entire house

Apart from having packaged deals, most of these online furniture sites also have individual furniture items that can be rented. Aarav Sinhal, an executive of one such online portal says, "We have packaged deals for 1, 2 or 3 BHK. For example, if someone wants to rent furniture for a one BHK, we offer a master bed, master cupboard, side drawers, bedside table and one mattress. For the living area, we have one fabric three-seater sofa and another two-seater, one centre table, a shoe rack along with a chest of drawers. For a 1BHK, you can rent all this between `4,000 and `5,000 a month."

Customised solutions available too

Those who do not wish to rent furniture for the whole house can go in for customised furniture options. Sana Ismail Sheikh, a customer care executive at one such firm, says, "We do provide customised solutions for our customers. There are many people who do not wish to go in for a complete furniture package and thus choose pieces that they would like to rent. We are flexible and allow our customers to even rent a single piece of furniture."


Appliances and vehicles are available on rent as well

Apart from furniture, some of these sites also offer appliances and vehicles on rent. From TV, washing machines, refrigerators and other gadgets, most of these portals also offer bikes and cycles on rent. Priyansh Agarwal, a 28-year-old investment banker who recently rented a bike for a short trip, says, "I wanted to drive up to Mahabaleshwar and since I do not have a vehicle of my own, I got in touch with one of the online renting portals and got a premiere bike for `1,900 for a single trip. Had I rented from a travel agency, it would definitely cost me a lot more."

Resource:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/man-woman/Millennials-ditch-the-baggage-rent-furniture-on-the-move/articleshow/51410079.cms

Furniture and bike rental platform Rentomojo secures $2M round from Accel Partners and IDG

Furniture, household appliances, and bike rental platform, Rentomojo has raised $2 million in Pre-Series A from Accel Partners and IDG Ventures India. Following the round, Venkatesh Peddi and Prashanth Prakash will join the board of Directors. The company will use proceeding towards expansion, hiring, and marketing. Earlier, it had raised seed capital from London-based investors last year.

The company operates in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and Pune. With this round, it plans to spread wings to six more cities over the next two quarters. Besides furniture, appliances (kitchen and home utility), it also lets you rent two-wheelers and adventure equipments.

Almost a year old, the startup had earlier raised seed capital from London-based investors. Speaking on the occasion, Geetansh Bamania, Co-founder and CEO, Rentomojo, said,

With urbanization, increasing incomes, and declining savings among the working professionals, we are witnessing the birth of access economy with the advent of Airbnb, Uber, Rentherunway, and the likes. We want our users to get access to a personalized lifestyle without actually owning it. We work as a marketplace and keep this business asset light.


Furlenco, one of the major players in the furniture rental segment, had recently secured $6 million from Lightbox Ventures. However, Furlenco doesn’t follow a marketplace approach. It designs, owns, and holds all the inventory to ensure complete control on quality.

Team behind Rentomojo

Founded by IIT Chennai alumni Geetansh Bamannia and Ajay Nain, Rentomojo follows a marketplace model to keep the business asset light.

Geetansh is a serial entrepreneur and has worked with e-commerce majors such as Flipkart and Pepperfry while Ajay has had a stint at Himalaya Drug company and Daimler.

Bachelors and freelancers who move from one city to another for long projects are potential segments for Rentomojo. According to some industry estimates, the furniture renting space is worth $500 million market (only unfurnished apartments and houses) in India.

YourStory take

The sharing economy is on the rise across various sectors. Right from cabs (carpooling and renting) to apparels, and furniture — everything is available on rent. Over the past one year, the space witnessed debuts of startups like Wheelstreet, Rentomojo Etashee, SmartMumbaikar, and Rentsetgo among others.

So far the success of IndiaReads and car rental startup Zoomcar are testimony to the belief that sharing or access economy is a big opportunity in India. Till now, Zoomcar gobbled $19 million funding across two rounds.

With this round, Rentomojo will look for fast expansion and compete Furlenco more aggressively. It also competes with bike renting platforms like WheelStreet on the bike renting front. Bachelors, businesses and freelancers prefer renting furniture as buying and moving furniture (while shifting) is a costly affair. The aforementioned segments are driving the wheel of furniture rental platforms and in the future it would be interesting to watch how Rentomojo and Furlenco evolve.

Resource: http://yourstory.com/2015/11/rentmojo-funding/

Furniture On Rent with Ahuja Rentals

Moving into a new place can bring about more stress and challenges , like finding a comfortable home for your family and familiarizing yourself with the new environment.

Hence to reduce the difficulties of trying to locate suitable Furniture On Rent In Delhi, Ahuja Rentals offers a relatively stress free solution, while ensuring that you are still able to create a home like environment for your family.

Delhi-NCR offers many choices of both local and imported furniture, but good quality furniture  doesn’t come cheap. On top of it if you don’t know your way around the town it may be difficult to locate all pieces for furnishing your home.

With our complete furniture rental solutions, we provide you with a one stop shop service (where everything you need will provided for) shielding you away from unscrupulous dealers wanting to take advantage of you.

Home Furniture On Rent In Delhi is a great option that can help you in getting all furniture items that you want without having to worry about spending a huge amount of money buying new ones. It is more affordable with limited amount of time to meet your demand.

At Ahuja Rentals, we provide you with:

• A variety of contemporary and modern choices to suit your needs, starting from the luxury pieces to quality collections.
• We provide superior quality of products and never compromise on quality for cost.
• In order to prove our commitment to satisfy our customers, our team of professionals will assist you with every detail of our expertise and flexibility that exceeds your expectation.

The company offers a wide range of exquisite, comfortable and durable furniture items which  include sofa sets, king size bed, wooden tables, six- seater dining table, chairs etc.

Resource:  https://furniturerentalnews.wordpress.com/2016/05/18/furniture-on-rent-with-ahuja-rentals/

Furlenco ties up with NoBroker to ease furnishing woes

Online furniture rental company Furlenco has partnered with ​brokerage-free property listing site NoBroker, in a bid to ease the furnishing woes for relocators.                             
 Online furniture rental company Furlenco has partnered with brokerage-free property listing site NoBroker, in a bid to ease the furnishing woes for relocators.

As part of the alliance, people who finalize a house with NoBroker will now have the option to furnish it with rented furniture from Furlenco. The service is currently available for home seekers in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore.

"Finding an accommodation can be a tough challenge in metros. The situation becomes worse for the urban migrant population with white collar jobs who have to move cities or homes every three years. In such scenarios, they have to sell their furniture and picking up the right pieces again becomes a tedious task." said Furlenco founder & CEO Ajith Mohan Karimpana.

"By joining hands with NoBroker, we will give home seekers registered on their platform, easy access to furnishing their new pad through our furniture rental model. Within this one year, we have already beautified almost 5000 homes in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore with our aspirational products. Through this association, we are mutually trying to create a community of furnished homes," added Karimpana.

"Since our inception, we are always looking at ways to create a seamless and convenient customer experience. The tie up with Furlenco will go a long way in benefiting our nine lakh customers," said Amit Kumar Agarwal, CEO and Co-Founder, NoBroker.com.

"Furnishing is one of the first things that anyone looks for once they have found a house. So it was only natural for NoBroker to partner with Furlenco. We are always looking at genuine and cost effective ways to help our customers save money. We are already helping our customers save more than 18 crores in brokerage every month. This tie will definitely help our customers and we are very happy to be partnering with Furlenco," added Amit Kumar.

Founded in 2012, Furlenco allows consumers to rent designer furniture with matching furnishings and decor on a monthly subscription fee.

One can rent beds with mattresses, sofa sets, couch sets, dining tables and recliners among others starting at Rs 999 per month. The service also includes free doorstep delivery and installation.

In March last year, it raised Rs 38 crore in Series A funding from Lightbox Ventures.


Resource: http://tech.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/startups/furlenco-nobroker-furnishing-woes-relocators/52224567

Apparel rental start-up Klozee shuts down

Team of a dozen-odd people at Klozee has been absorbed by Voonik Technologies and online home design start-up Livspace

    Bengaluru: Online apparel rental start-up Klozee has shut shop within six months of raising its maiden round of funding, after it failed to gain scale, signalling a stress in the pre-owned apparel sale and rental segment, which has seen success stories such as Poshmark and Rent the Runway in the US and Secoo in China.

The team of a dozen-odd people at Klozee, owned by Humble Egg Technologies Pvt. Ltd, has been absorbed by Sequoia Capital-backed online fashion store Voonik Technologies Pvt. Ltd and Bessemer Venture Partners-backed online home design start-up Livspace (Home Interior Design E-commerce Pvt. Ltd), said two people aware of the development.

The founders of Klozee—Aman Haji, Pratik Moona and Prashant Jain—have joined Livspace, they said.

Sujayath Ali, co-founder and chief executive at Voonik, Anuj Srivastava, co-founder and chief executive at Livspace, and Haji from Klozee confirmed the development.

The development is the second instance of a start-up in the sector hitting a bump. In February this year, Spoyl, an online marketplace for pre-owned apparel, had acquired rival Revamp My Closet.

Klozee was one of the 15-odd start-ups that mushroomed in the past 18 months to tap the market for pre-owned branded and designer apparel and renting garments. Companies such as Share Wardrobe, Elanic, Envoged, Etashee and Stylish Play are marketplaces for pre-owned premium women’s apparel brands, while LibeRent, FlyRobe and SwishList rent premium brands and designer wear.

The Indian start-ups have, however, struggled to replicate the success of global peers, despite there being headroom for growth. According to Wazir Advisors, a consultancy firm, the premium women’s wear market is a Rs.9,000 crore segment, about 6% of the Rs.140,000 crore women’s apparel market.

Even venture capital firms have not placed enough bets on such start-ups in India. Apart from Klozee, other start-ups to have received funding are Elanic, Envoged and Zapyle.

This is in sharp contrast to the US and Chinese markets, where investors have poured in funds into companies in these sectors. About 12 online marketplaces in the US, including Poshmark and The RealReal, have raised about $230 million, according to data provided by Tracxn, a firm which tracks start-ups. In the rental space, at least 10 start-ups in the US, including Bag Borrow or Steal and Rent the Runway, have raised about $162 million.

“The reason why we got into the business was because we thought it was a very interesting market. But, we felt that the market is not prepared for this (business). We did not see demand shaping up the way we expected. Klozee was doing around 12-15 orders a day. The idea was very sound but it would have taken a lot of money and investment,” said Haji, co-founder and chief executive at Klozee.

The company, which had raised an undisclosed amount from TracxnLabs, the private investment arm of Tracxn, a start-up tracker, in August last year, finally stopped operations in February.

According to industry experts, the renting model works better for higher value items such as furniture, which has seen businesses such as Furlenco and RentoMojo raise funds from institutional investors. Besides, while Indian consumers are warming up to pre-owned mobile phones or gadgets, the sentiment is yet to translate to a significant demand for the fashion category.

“Rental in India for fashion will take some time. Rentals will do well with big ticket items, but it may not immediately translate to success for the fashion category. In the course, some companies will do it right and some will not be able to crack it,” said Brij Bhasin, principal India investment lead at Rebright Partners, a venture capital firm.

“Some markets inherently have a latent demand, say food. But, when you are creating a market (for sale of pre-owned apparel and rentals), efforts go into creating and popularizing the concept. That takes time to build scale,” he added.

Resource:http://www.livemint.com/Companies/ohyR96OOH0PBojjZamFB3H/Klozee-a-startup-selling-secondhand-clothes-shuts-down.html

How Messy Should You Leave a Hotel Room?

What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you at a hotel? Pipes burst? Stolen computer? Mouse sighting?

It differs by the guest, and it’s fair to say that one person’s worst nightmare—say, a rat—is another’s “let’s-see-if-we-can-get-it-to-drag-a-slice-of-pizza!”

Such was the situation I encountered at a motel up in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on a recent vacation. The room was about $160 a night, quiet, and—at first blush—neat. But closer inspection revealed that if I was Miss Muffet, this would be the worst spot ever: three spiders’ nests lurked in the suite.

Now, I’m cockroach-phobic, but spiders don’t really trouble me. I gave them a wide berth, and upon checking out the next morning, casually mentioned it to the staffer at the front desk: “I’m not afraid of spiders, but your next guest might be; you probably want to have housekeeping take a closer look at 11B.”

Her eyes widened. (She was a spider-phobe.) She thanked me profusely and said she’d look into it. No discount was offered, and I didn’t ask for one.

But did everyone handle this correctly? I reached out to Carol Peterson, general manager of the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas, and Daniel Post Senning, great-great grandson of notorious manners stickler Emily Post and co-host of the “Awesome Etiquette Podcast.”

“We’re a small historic hotel in a very remote location,” said Peterson, “and my feeling is that we don’t ever want a guest to leave without feeling totally satisfied with their stay. Each guest is important to us in terms of future business.” Gage staffers make small talk with guests, asking how they like their rooms, throughout their visit, so “If someone says, ‘You know, there’s a weird spider creeping me out,’” staffers can say, “We’ll get a person over there right away.”

Peterson emphasized, “we like to find out about a problem before a person checks out. I hate it when [I find out] after the fact. That’s the most unpleasant situation.”

She enables every single staffer to “take care of a problem with a customer,” whether it’s offering an apology or a discount, and in my spidery scenario hopes her employee would have said, “We’re so sorry that you had that experience in your room, we’re glad you let us know, and we’ll definitely look into it.”

And when it comes to a discount, might a squeakier wheel get the grease? How should the guest act? “We [have] employees try to read the customer; if they feel like there’s a lot of discontentment they will try to offer a discount right away.” But with some guests, whether she offers gift certificates or discounts, “Some people cannot be pleased.”

And throwing a fit won’t help your case.

“We’re all humans,” Peterson points out, “and the nice ones at our hotel will get…the same outcome as the ones who stamp their feet.”

Daniel Post Senning agrees. “One of our principles of good etiquette is recognizing the work of others, but also honesty.” He suggests you ask yourself, “How bad was it, really?”

He thinks everyone handled my spiders appropriately. “If it was an easily corrected and egregious error—they owe you,” he says, such as if things were “so bad that you weren’t comfortable in the room.” But for that price, he notes, “you probably weren’t expecting it to be like the Ritz.” True.

And would I have been rude to ask for a discount? “No,” he replied, “as long as you’re prepared to accept the answer that you get."

Question your motives before piping up, he suggests. “If it’s, ‘I see a cockroach, oh, sweet, this will be 20 percent off my bill!’” you’re not looking at the situation correctly. “On the flip side, if you see one and run screaming from the room, and you don’t feel comfortable, then you head right down to the desk.” In the latter instance, he thinks a new room, a refund, and assistance finding someplace else to stay in town are all appropriate.

As long as you’re kind. “We all need to learn how to deliver bad news well. Everybody is shining when everyone is on their best behavior. The real challenge is when you’re presented with someone difficult or a difficult situation—or when you haven’t been at your best. That’s the real test of your grace and poise.”
Resource: http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/travel-etiquette/messy-hotel-room

Furniture retailer RoomPlace buys Levitz building, plans to hire 120 workers

Seventeen years after Levitz Furniture shuttered a large warehouse on Indianapolis' east side, sofas and dining tables are about to bustle through the building's corridors once again.

RoomPlace has acquired the 170,000-square-foot former Levitz building at 8301 E. Washington St. The Lombard, Ill., furniture seller plans to use the building as a warehouse and showroom. The building also will become the headquarters of RoomPlace's rent-to-own division, EasyHome.

RoomPlace plans to hire 70 people within a year and more than 120 within two years, CEO Paul Adams said. The company plans to invest more than $7 million to renovate the building.

RoomPlace operates 25 stores, including locations in Indianapolis, Carmel, Greenwood, Merrillville and Plainfield. It offers a variety of furniture, from traditional to modern.

Before settling on the former Levitz building, RoomPlace had planned to open another store in Indianapolis. But it had been eyeing locations in Ohio and Illinois for its distribution center, Adams said.

Adams became sold on Indianapolis after talking to Sidney Eskenazi. Eskenazi's company, Sandor Development, constructed the Levitz building in the early 1970s. Sandor in December donated it to the Eskenazi Health Foundation, which sold the building to RoomPlace for $2 million. In addition to acquiring the Levitz building, RoomPlace is planning to donate at least $150,000 to Eskenazi Health Foundation.

"Sid convinced me that not only should we have another store here, but we absolutely needed to have a warehouse in the Indianapolis market," Adams said.

The building sale closed May 9. RoomPlace sped up its acquisition in the wake of a devastating April 21 fire at its Woodridge, Ill., warehouse that destroyed $10 million in inventory and caused $70 million in damage.

RoomPlace's new warehouse will serve areas throughout the Midwest, including Cincinnati, Adams said.

"We built the business large enough that we really needed to find a distribution center so that we could add more value within the Indianapolis area," Adams said. "This building fits that."

Indianapolis plans to provide incentives to RoomPlace. The Metropolitan Development Commission will consider an incentive package in June, Mayor Joe Hogsett said.

"I'm not at liberty to go into details because the incentives are still being negotiated," Hogsett said. "But suffice it to say, the city will participate."

Hogsett touted the RoomPlace deal as a chance to bring life to a long-ignored stretch of historic U.S. 40.

"This project over the next year or so, and thereafter, will bring jobs, will bring money, will bring beautification to a side of town that has long been underserved," Hogsett said.

RoomPlace, a 104-year-old company, is moving into a building once occupied by another historic furniture retailer. Levitz, once the top-selling furniture seller in the U.S., occupied the building from the 1970s until 1999, when it closed the Eastside location as part of a Chapter 11 restructuring plan. Levitz also closed a store at 6250 W. 38th St. at the same time. Levitz liquidated its assets in 2008.

Sandor had little luck finding a replacement for Levitz aside from temporary tenants, such as a company that stored boats there in recent winters, Eskenazi said.

"I am really excited about the building being put to a good use by a company that's going to make major improvements to it and employ a lot of people," Eskenazi said. "It's very important to me."

Call IndyStar reporter James Briggs at (317) 444-6307. Follow him on

Resource:http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2016/05/16/furniture-retailer-roomplace-buys-levitz-building-plans-hire-100-workers/84408774/

Rental marketplace Rentomojo appoints Tina Datta Nayak as VP, growth marketing

Home appliances and furniture rental marketplace Rentomojo has appointed Tina Datta Nayak as vice president, growth marketing. Nayak had earlier worked with ZipDial, the Bangalore-based mobile marketing startup which was acquired by Twitter in 2015.

At RentoMojo, she will lead its team in building innovative marketing strategies that will include building brand identity and personality, effective content marketing, performance and product marketing.

“She will be working towards building a highly engaged brand from all consumer touch points. As a member of the leadership team, she will play a pivotal role in all major decision making processes and also design campaigns to educate users on the benefits of renting furniture and appliances,” Rentomojo said.

Nayak’s cardinal contribution at ZipDial as head of marketing is what drew RentoMojo’s attention, the company said in a statement.

Nayak comes with over 11 years of experience in brand strategy and digital and mobile marketing. Previously, Nayak has consulted and advised startups such as Jobspire, helping build their growth and digital strategy. She has also been associated with contract advertising where she managed finances and was responsible for creative conceptualising. Nayak was national head, strategy and planning, at Ignitee Digital Solutions earlier. She also co-founded NaturalMantra.com.

Operated by Bangalore-based Edunetwork Pvt. Ltd, Rentomojo was founded in November 2014 by IIT Madras graduates Geetansh Bamania and Ajay Nain. It operates in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Pune. In November 2015, it raised $2 million in pre-Series A funding from Accel Partners and IDG Ventures India.
Resource: http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2016/05/05/rental-marketplace-rentomojo-appoints-tina-datta-nayak-as-vp-growth-marketing/

Furlenco ties up with NoBroker to ease furnishing woes

New Delhi, May 11 (ANI): India's first online furniture rental company Furlenco has partnered with NoBroker, a brokerage-free marketplace for home-seekers and home-owners to connect without having to deal with brokers.

As part of the alliance, people who finalize a house with NoBroker can now enjoy the option to furnish it with top quality rented furniture by Furlenco.

Furlenco is now live on NoBroker's website and people looking for a house in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore through NoBroker can opt to furnish their houses with stylish and contemporary furniture on rent as listed on the latter's website.

Commenting on the collaboration, Founder and CEO Furlenco, Ajith Mohan Karimpana said, "Finding an accommodation can be a tough challenge in metros. The situation becomes worse for the urban migrant population with white collar jobs who have to move cities or homes every three years. In such scenarios, they have to sell their furniture and picking up the right pieces again becomes a tedious task."

"By joining hands with NoBroker, we will give home seekers registered on their platform, easy access to furnishing their new pad through our furniture rental model. Within this one year, we have already beautified almost 5000 homes in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore with our aspirational products. Through this association, we are mutually trying to create a community of furnished homes," added Ajith Mohan.

"NoBroker has been disrupting the real estate space by leading brokerage free rentals for the past two years. Since our inception , we are always looking at ways to create a seamless and convenient customer experience. The tie up with Furlenco will go a long way in benefiting our nine lakh customers," said Amit Kumar Agarwal, CEO and Co-Founder, NoBroker.com.

"Furnishing is one of the first things that anyone looks for once they have found a house. So it was only natural for NoBroker to partner with Furlenco. We are always looking at genuine and cost effective ways to help our customers save money. We are already helping our customers save more than 18 crores in brokerage every month. This tie will definitely help our customers and we are very happy to be partnering with Furlenco," added Amit Kumar.

A novel concept in the furniture space, Furlenco makes furnishing homes quick, easy and affordable. As part of their service, they charter an array of award-winning designer furniture that is high on quality with matching furnishings and decor on a monthly subscription fee.

The service also includes free doorstep delivery and installation making it an extremely convenient and hassle-free approach to own a home with dreamy interiors. One can rent beds with mattresses, sofa sets, couch sets, dining tables, recliners and much more starting at just Rs.999 per month. (ANI)
Resource: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Furlenco-ties-up-with-NoBroker-to-ease-furnishing-woes/articleshow/52222504.cms

Online furniture rental firm Furlenco ties up with NoBroker to ease furnishing woes

 NEW DELHI: India's first online furniture rental company Furlenco has partnered with NoBroker, a brokerage-free marketplace for home-seekers and home-owners to connect without having to deal with brokers.

As part of the alliance, people who finalize a house with NoBroker can now enjoy the option to furnish it with top quality rented furniture by Furlenco.

Furlenco is now live on NoBroker's website and people looking for a house in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore through NoBroker can opt to furnish their houses with stylish and contemporary furniture on rent as listed on the latter's website.

Commenting on the collaboration, Founder and CEO Furlenco, Ajith Mohan Karimpana said, "Finding an accommodation can be a tough challenge in metros. The situation becomes worse for the urban migrant population with white collar jobs who have to move cities or homes every three years. In such scenarios, they have to sell their furniture and picking up the right pieces again becomes a tedious task."

"By joining hands with NoBroker, we will give home seekers registered on their platform, easy access to furnishing their new pad through our furniture rental model. Within this one year, we have already beautified almost 5000 homes in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore with our aspirational products. Through this association, we are mutually trying to create a community of furnished homes," added Ajith Mohan.

"NoBroker has been disrupting the real estate space by leading brokerage free rentals for the past two years. Since our inception, we are always looking at ways to create a seamless and convenient customer experience. The tie up with Furlenco will go a long way in benefiting our nine lakh customers," said Amit Kumar Agarwal, CEO and Co-Founder, NoBroker.com.

"Furnishing is one of the first things that anyone looks for once they have found a house. So it was only natural for NoBroker to partner with Furlenco. We are always looking at genuine and cost effective ways to help our customers save money. We are already helping our customers save more than 18 crores in brokerage every month. This tie will definitely help our customers and we are very happy to be partnering with Furlenco," added Amit Kumar.

A novel concept in the furniture space, Furlenco makes furnishing homes quick, easy and affordable. As part of their service, they charter an array of award-winning designer furniture that is high on quality with matching furnishings and decor on a monthly subscription fee.

The service also includes free doorstep delivery and installation making it an extremely convenient and hassle-free approach to own a home with dreamy interiors. One can rent beds with mattresses, sofa sets, couch sets, dining tables, recliners and much more starting at just Rs.999 per month.

Resource: http://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/online-furniture-rental-firm-furlenco-ties-up-with-nobroker-to-ease-furnishing-woes/52231757

On Demand Furniture Rental Startup, CityFurnish, Raises Seed Fund

Gurgaon-based Magneto Home Pvt Ltd owned CityFurnish, an on-demand furniture rental platform, has raised an undisclosed amount of seed round funding from Jitendra Gupta, co-founder at Citrus Pay.


CityFurnish’s idea was conceptualised by Neerav Jain in August, 2015 but was launched in late September. The startup offers furniture, furnishings and appliances on rent. It has tied-up with third-party providers through a marketplace model besides keeping inventory on its books.


Currently, the startup is offering its services in Gurgaon and Delhi-NCR region. The company has already furnished 175 properties and is looking to furnish 200 more by January, 2016. Besides, the company is also looking to expand its arm to Bangalore market soon.


The raised funds will be utilised to strengthen CityFurnish’s core team, improve product management and order fulfilment.


CityFurnish has also launched a great offer for startups and early stage businesses, offering 3 months free furniture on subscription of 12 months plan.


Other players who raised funding in this space include, online home appliances & furniture rental startup, RentoMojo – raised $1.96 Mn from IDG Ventures India and Accel Partners India; and Furlenco – raised $6 Mn in a Series A funding round led by LightBox VC.


Resource: http://inc42.com/flash-feed/cityfurnish-raises-seed-fund/

Furniture rental company Furlenco to raise $20 million

Bengaluru-based furniture rental start-up is in advanced talks to raise a series B funding of $20-30 million to expand its operations.


The three-year-old start-up, which was founded by former Goldman Sachs VP, Ajith Karimpana, raised $6 million in series A funding in March from Lighbox Ventures. So far, the company has raised ₹40 crore. Lightbox is also participating in the fresh funding round.


“We have grown from 180 customers in February this year to about 1,600 in Bengaluru itself. Since it is a capital-intensive business, we have used $4.5 million of the $6-million raised for asset buying,” Karimpana told BusinessLine. He said Furlenco has started a pilot in Mumbai already and plans to go aggressive in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Gurgaon.


“We already have 100 customers in Mumbai even before the official launch. Soon, we’ll go big bang in the city with a new range specifically targeted for Mumbai apartments,” Karimpana said.


“Young professionals are always on the move. According to a study, urban Indians move houses once every three years for various reasons. That makes it financially unviable for them to buy and tag along their furniture wherever they go. And that gives a big business opportunity to us,” Karimpana said. Furlenco was started in 2012 with a focus on furniture rental for expats. However, given the small market size, the company decided to reduce its rentals, which now start at ₹1,000 a month to an average of ₹3,500 per month, to tap into a larger market and act as an uber for furniture rentals.


“Seeing a huge initial success, we are now also planning to offer home décor and home appliances on rent,” Karimpana said.


Furnlenco has tied up with refurbished home appliance provider Greendust to provide special packages to its customers.


Greendust is also funded by Lightbox Ventures.


Resource: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/real-estate/furniture-rental-company-furlenco-to-raise-20-million/article7716183.ece

Online rental furniture co Furlenco ties up TVF for infomercial

Online furniture rental company Furlenco has tie up with digital content platform TVF (The Viral Fever) to launch its first infomercial. The furniture rental giant also announced its expansion plans in Pune after Bangalore and Mumbai.


Based out of Bangalore, Furlenco was established in the year 2012, followed by its Mumbai launch in October 2015 with the purpose of elevating the living standards of urban aspirers who often end up compromising on their need for a good-looking home due to lack of desirable and convenient solutions.


Furlenco gives them access to premium and aspirational products which can be used for as long as it is required, without investing heavily in buying it.


After beautifying 5,000+ homes in Bangalore and Mumbai in the past one year, Furlenco made its grand entry into the Pune market riding on a campaign with Uber on 1st April.


The Pune operations will coincide with launch of three new offerings including a Chill Zone, Bachelor's Pad and Sleepover. Customers can place their orders online at Furlenco and get free doorstep delivery and installations within a week. They can also swap furniture annually based on their needs.


Commenting on the launch, Ajith Mohan Karimpana, Founder and CEO of Furlenco said, "TVF is an immensely popular youth-centric digital content platform in our country, which boasts of more than 15,00,000 viewers. The idea of launching an infomercial with TVF came from a simple thought of introducing Furlenco to the youth of this city as well as all the other metropolitan cities, who are also our target group. We aim to make aspirations of Pune's aspirers more accessible by providing premium designer furniture on rent. They can now Have Everything and Buy Nothing.”


From the living room to bedroom and dining, Furlenco makes furnishing a house quick, easy and affordable. Carefully designed & curated, Furlenco's premium furniture packages come with exquisite soft furnishing, home decor and accessories on a monthly subscription fee.


This Pune launch is a part of Furlenco's nationwide expansion, which it will follow by setting up its operations across every tier 1 city in India.


By reaching out to every urban Indian on the move, Furlenco envisions to create a successful global name in the rental furniture service category and provide a seamless rental experience to all its customers.


Resource:  http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/online-rental-furniture-co-furlenco-ties-up-tvf-for-infomercial/article8483601.ece

Research pays off when renting a summer getaway

Spring is when we start thinking about summer getaways.


For many, that means a vacation rental — and these days, with the proliferation of online information and rental websites, finding that perfect spot is easier than ever.


(According to a TripAdvisor 2015 survey, 87 percent of people queried said they were more likely to book a vacation rental due to the increased availability of online information, such as traveler reviews and photos.)


Flip through listings, make your pick and send off a deposit. Nothing left to do but pack your bags, then settle in and enjoy your home away from home, right?


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Unlimited Digital Access. $1 for 4 weeks.


Not quite because there still is a chance that the picture-perfect vacation house you saw and booked may not actually exist.


Yes, renters beware: Along with descriptions of shoreline cottages and seaside mansions, the Internet is also filled with stories of vacationers who showed up to find that the dream vacation they’d booked online was nothing more than a virtual nightmare.


Either the property didn’t exist or the owners knew nothing about the arrangement.


Phony online rental ads are a common scam, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Perpetrators lift ads, complete with photos, from other sites and repost them with fictitious contact information. The fraudulent listings often feature extremely low rates.


San Francisco, New York and other vacation destinations, such as Cape Cod, are popular targets.


“Vacation rental scams are a huge issue,” says Elizabeth Weedon of WeNeedAVacation.com, a vacation rental agency specializing in Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket properties. “People need to be very careful who they rent from. They need to research the property before they sign a rental agreement and hand over money. If something seems too good to be true, well, it probably isn’t.”


Potential scam victims usually are asked to send money via Western Union. Experts say the words “wire money” should trigger an immediate red flag.


Check Western Union.com, and you’ll see the following: “DO NOT send money to an individual for a rental property.”


CraigsList.org is just as direct.


“Never wire funds, (e.g. Western Union). Anyone who asks you to is a scammer,” the website site states.


The safest way to pay is by credit card (many offer their own protection against fraudulent charges). If you’re dealing with an individual owner and have researched his or her name and property to be sure it’s legit, a check is probably safe. Most rental sites update consumer alerts and offer extensive information on the best way to pay and how to protect yourself against online cons. Look for the “security center” section on the website and follow the directions.


READ THE CONTRACT


Once you’ve found a rental and confirmed that it’s legit, you’re all set, right? Well, maybe.


What if the refrigerator breaks in your rental and you just bought hundreds of dollars of food? The septic system backs up and green goo starts spewing out of the washing machine?


A recent survey done by Wyndham Vacation Rentals, which offers vacation rental property management services to homeowners, showed that 62 percent of all vacationers worry about not being able to get problems solved quickly and nearly half are not confident that they’ll get what they anticipate when renting directly from an owner.


Wyndham says potential renters should book accommodations with reputable companies, ask in advance about on-site customer service and confirm that there’s a local team on hand to take care of any issues that may arise.


“The survey underscores that travelers want to know their vacation is in the hands of someone they can trust,” says Gail Mandel, CEO, Wyndham Vacation Rentals.


Wyndham also recommends checking online maps to make sure the property address is legitimate and use the satellite view to see if the property matches the listing description, seek vacation rental sites with real-time availability calendars to avoid the possibility of double-bookings and rent from reputable sources such as well-known hospitality companies or rental management companies.


And, most important, read the contract carefully before signing.


Even in the best situations, things can go wrong. If you’re disappointed with your rental, you might be tempted to post a negative review online. Go through your contract carefully before you do.


Some include a “non-disparagement clause.” Post a less-than-glowing review on social media after your stay and you could be forced to remove the review — or charged a penalty.


The good news after all this is that there are plenty of properties available for summer 2016. Weedon says new listings continue to come in and while rental prices have increased about 2½ percent from 2015, summer rentals are still a good vacation deal.


On average, the price per square foot for a U.S. hotel room can be more than twice the price per square foot of a vacation rental.


“Split the cost of a rental with friends or family, cook some meals at home and you’re going to have a very cost effective vacation,” says Weedon.


If you’re looking for a summer rental, check TripAdvisor.com, VRBO.com, WeNeedAVacation.com, AirBnb.com and HomeAway.com. Tripping.com aggregates listings from HomeAway, Wimdu, VRBO, FlipKey, Booking.com and other sites. Most sites vet listings and offer some protection against scammers.


Resource: http://www.seattletimes.com/news/research-pays-off-when-renting-a-summer-getaway/

Grab On Rent – Rental Furniture On A Rise!

Furniture isn’t just about seating anymore, it is an environmental design tool for interior decoration, providing a function of purpose to fit the unique needs of the customer.Moving into a new place itself can bring about more stress and challenges, like finding a suitable home for your family and familiarizing yourself with the new environment. To reduce the difficulties of trying to locate suitable furniture in a new place, Ahuja Rentals offers a relatively stress free solution, while ensuring that you are still able to create a home like environment for your family.

Delhi-NCR offers many choices of both local and imported furniture, but good quality furniture often doesn’t come cheap. On top of it if you don’t know your way around the city it may be frustrating to locate all the pieces for furnishing your home. With our services, we offer you complete furniture rental solutions (where everything you need will provided for) shielding you away from any hassles.

Rent Home Furniture (both old and new) these days is a great option that can help you in getting each furniture item you desire without having to worry about spending a fortune. It is also more affordable with limited amount of time to meet your demand. Ahuja Rentals gives Home Appliances and furniture on rent. We design and manufacture are own products and offer complete solutions in home furnishings and maintenance for people in transit for any length of time. We ensure you relocate and settle down as smoothly and comfortably as possible.

 Style: We have a vast collection with variety of contemporary and modern choices to suit your needs, starting from the luxury pieces to quality collections and signature pieces for those having a more specific and unique taste.

 Quality: We provide only superior and premium quality products and do not compromise on quality for cost.

 Service: In order to prove our commitment to satisfy our customers, our team of professionals will assist you with every detail of our expertise and flexibility that exceeds your expectation.

Ahuja Rentals, aims to relieve the consumer from the pain of moving furniture and buying furniture for temporary and short-term requirement. The organisation says, “By offering premium solid furniture, we are attracting customers and crossing the mentality of cheap furniture rented usually. We are also fulfilling residential and commercial office needs at affordable rental packages with a flexible rental tenure.

Resource :https://furniturerentalnews.wordpress.com/2016/05/07/grab-on-rent-rental-furniture-on-a-rise/