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/

Furnishing Rental Firm FlatFurnish Raises Angel Funding

Gurgaon-based furnishing rental company, FlatFurnish.com, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Jabong Founder Arun Chandra Mohan. The funding will be used in expansion of the company.
Furniture inventory posted on the website is manufactured by the company itself. Flatfurnish follows in-house designing of products to make sure that the products being manufactured are durable

It was founded by IIT Kanpur Alumni, Jyoti Goyal, Aritra Saha and Jeetesh Agrawal. All three co-founders have also led teams for companies in eCommerce sector, like Jabong, Quikr & Wadi.

FlatFurnish does not only help newly settled to rent furniture but it also has other appliances, fitness products and also offers packages according to the size of the place. Instead of renting a furnished flat, people can now choose to get an unfurnished one and rent the furniture and appliances too.

They’re a marketplace where vendors manufacture designs for the company and the payment is made on a monthly basis. The company follows in-house designing of products to make sure that the products being manufactured are durable and their quality is maintained over a period of time.

On the business model, Jeetesh stated that renting makes sense because there is a huge price gap in the rent of furnished and unfurnished apartments.

Rentomojo is one similar company that provides service to rent furniture, it  raised $2 million in November 2015. Other competitors include Furlenco, Rentongo, Rentwala etc.

Resource: http://www.iamwire.com/2016/01/furnishing-rental-company-flatfurnish-raises-funding-jabong-founder-arun-chandra-mohan/129544

Rentomojo helps young professionals do up their house the rental way

When Divya Sharma joined a startup in Mumbai, she moved to a tiny flat in the suburbs and signed up with online rental company Rentomojo for a one-room package on rent – a bed with a mattress, a bean bag, a cupboard and a side table – for a monthly fee of Rs 1100. The refundable deposit was Rs 2200. “I knew I could rent furniture for as long as I want – six months or one year – and cancel the subscription when I no longer needed it.”

For young professionals who are not sure which city their next job is going to take them to, doing up their new home with furniture brought on rent is an easy way out. And it is this emerging market that Rentomojo, run by Bangalore-based Edunetwork Pvt Ltd, is eyeing. An online rental marketplace which currently deals in furniture, furnishings, home appliances and bikes, it has 4,500 subscribers, it claims. The 16-month-old startup has now set a target of 1-1.5 lakh subscribers in the next 18 months.

“We can be a good profitable company in the next 18 months,” says Geetansh Bamania, CEO & founder, Rentomojo, adding that he is bullish on the emergence of an access economy in the country.

According to him, people today are hiring cars, furniture, home appliances, among other things, instead of outright purchases. While the furniture market in India is $16 billion, growing at 25 per cent month-on-month, the furniture and appliances rental market is $5-7 billion, he says. And with more than one crore rental properties available, the furniture rental business has immense potential, says Bamania.

Jitendra Gupta, founder, Citrus Pay, who is also an investor in rival furniture and appliance rental startup Cityfurnish, says the return on investment in this space is high as the capital invested by these startups is recovered in the span of 12-18 months. “Startups operating in this space have cash accruals right from day one. On an average, the Ebidta (earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortisation) margin in these businesses are 30-35 per cent,” says Gupta.

Rentomojo sees people in the 24-35 years age group with disposable income of Rs 30,000-40,000 as potential customers. The price difference between unfurnished and furnished rental properties in India is around Rs 10,000, and “this is where we come in”, says Bamania.

Fitting the pieces

“We furnish a one BHK apartment for a monthly rent of just Rs 4000. If a person buys this same furniture, he will have to shell out more than Rs 1 lakh and Rs 15,000-20,000 in terms of relocation, plus the hassles,” he say. “Rentomojo sells a convenience factor which is affordable to the pocket,” he adds.

Rentomojo, itself, works on an asset-light model. “When a consumer orders on our platform, we procure the assets from our vendors and give it to the consumers,” says Bamania. Customers need to submit identification and address proof besides a security deposit. The startup keeps 40-50 per cent of the rental fee as commission on every booking, with the remainder going to the vendor.

The asset-light business model has attracted many startups, and investors in their wake, to this space. Peer-to-peer renting marketplace Rentomo.com, received seed funding of $100,000 in January. FlatFurnish recently raised angel funding from former Jabong CEO Arun Chandra Mohan. WhatsOnRent raised angel funding from CommonFloor.com co-founder Lalit Mangal and other investors in January. RentOnGo, had earlier secured angel funding from Snapdeal’s chief product officer Anand Chandrasekaran, GSF India founder Rajesh Sawhney and other angel investors.
In March 2015, Furlenco, which has its own range of furniture, meanwhile raised $6 million (Rs 38 crore) in a Series A round of funding from LightBox Ventures.

Looking beyond

Last year, Rentomojo raised $2 million in pre-Series A funding from Accel Partners and IDG Ventures India. Its services are available in Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Gurgaon, and it plans to enter the Delhi and Noida markets soon. It is also in talks with potential investors to raise Series A funding to fund its expansion plans.

Currently, nearly half of Rentomojo’s subscribers are from Mumbai. “We are growing our customer base and revenue at 30 per cent month-on-month,” he says.

Rentomojo is looking to enter the transport and clothing rental spaces in the next few months. “We are looking to cater to the entire lifestyle segment in the rental business,” said Bamania.

The car rental space already has several players such as Myles, ZoomCar and JustRide, among others, and Rentomojo would be a late entrant here. Rentomojo still remains a small player in the bike rental space. Earlier this month, JustRide raised $400,000 in angel funding. Last year, ZoomCar had raised $11 million from investors.

However, Bamania is unfazed and says that its offerings would be very different compared to the other existing players in the market. “We would launch those categories that align with the existing line of business we have,” he says.

In the clothing rental space also, there are a few startups, but most of them, such as FlyRobe, Klozee and LibeRent, rent out premium fashion wear. Recently, Klozee.com had secured an undisclosed amount in seed funding from startup incubator TracxnLabs and other unnamed angel investors.

As Sharma says, “rental costs don’t hurt much” when compared to the hassles of buying, transporting and then selling a piece of furniture or even a car.

Resource: http://techcircle.vccircle.com/2016/04/07/rentomojo-helps-young-professionals-do-up-their-house-the-rental-way/

Rentals Available in Rockville

Search through a list of some of the top rentals in the area compiled by real estate website Zillow.
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ROCKVILLE, MD-Looking for new a place to hang your hat, but not ready to buy? Your search is (almost) over.

Patch works with Zillow to bring you the latest in real estate news near you.

Zillow has more than 6,000 rentals available in Maryland and over 1,000 of those are in Montgomery County.

Here’s a list of some of the latest rentals in the area, provided by Zillow. You can also add your listing in the comments section below.
Click on the links below to view the full listings. If you don’t see the links, you may need to pause your AdBlock.

According to the National Multifamily Housing Council, 37 percent of U.S. households are renter-occupied. In Maryland, 14.4 percent of the state’s population is made up of renters.

With Zillow, it’s easy to find your perfect place and be a part of that percentage.

Zillow’s search feature allows you to customize your quest for the ideal abode by providing options for price, number of bedrooms, home type and more. And if that’s not specific enough, draw any shape (we suggest a big heart!) on the map to see listings in the exact area that you want to live.

There’s even a handy rent affordability calculator that will only show you rentals in your budget!

Take a look at the Realtor’s description of one of the top properties for rent in Rockville located at 5405 Tuckerman Ln:

    Offering a beautiful natural setting, Jefferson at Inigo's Crossing features one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments along with multiple floorplan options. The gourmet kitchen features modern appliances and rich wood cabinetry, while the beautiful granite countertops and low maintenance tile flooring further enhance its appearance and a large pantry helps you maintain a neat and efficient workspace. The living room welcomes you in with a warm two-tone paint scheme, which adds a modern flair and soft wall-to-wall carpeting. Within Jefferson at Inigo's Crossing, you'll also enjoy luxurious community amenities. Kick back and enjoy the current sporting events at the onsite modern sports pub or cool off and have fun at the resort-inspired swimming pool. Beautifully landscaped courtyards are perfect for enjoying a few private moments and the conference room offers a way to conduct business away from the office. At Jefferson Inigo's Crossing 24-hour concierge service is at your disposal and emergency maintenance is a phone call away.

Check back every week for a listing of the latest rentals in the area.

If you’ve changed your mind and are looking to own, take a look at the most recent list of homes for sale in Rockville.
Resource: http://patch.com/maryland/rockville/rentals-available-rockville-72

Renting: It’s a Process

First of all, I would like to say welcome to adulthood! You’ve grown out of the dorm life (thank the stars) and you’re ready to rent! Whether it’s alone or with a rad group of friends, renting a place will lead you down a road of excitement, tons of phone calls to your parents, maybe some tears and some serious “how will I afford this” freak out sessions, but hey, it’s all about how you look at it.

Find a place

Now, UWM does have a housing office that can help you with this process, its on the ground floor by the Union Station if you didn’t know. But a lot of people will use websites to look at houses and apartments.

You’re more than likely going to look at tons of places before you find one that’s reasonably affordable, or if you’re anything like me: will let you have a cat.

Tour the place

After you find the place, you need to see the place. This part is always really fun because it is so freaking awkward, especially if you go alone. For example, during my apartment showing the current resident was in the shower while I was walking around their bedroom, kitchen and living room, with the landlord asking me how I was feeling about it.

But no matter the situation it’s important to come prepared with a handy full page list of questions you should probably get from your parents.

List of questions from parents:

    What does my rent pay for?
    Internet provider?
    What is the heating system?
    Is it safe?
    How far away are your friends/significant other?
    What kitchen appliances do you have? How old are they?

But there are also questions you should be able to answer for yourself, such as:

    Can I picture my really cute tapestry on this wall, or that wall?
    IS THAT A DISHWASHER?!?!
    Is the closet big enough for all your clothes?
    Is there good selfie lighting?
    Is there a place to get that cliché group of friends in front of the American Flag pic?

Sign that lease!

After you have found a place that you can see yourself calling home, it’s time to get serious with a lease.

The lease is probably the most intimidating part of this process. You’re going to go to this appointment and sign a bunch of papers saying you will pay everything on time, not destroy anything and if you do you will pay for it. It’s basically you imagining to your bank account empty and your hours at work triple for the next few weeks.

Then you are (probably) going to sign the biggest check of your life.

Then you are (probably) going to go home and realize you need food and new clothes and cry because you can’t afford them.

(This is where my favorite bottle of wine came in handy while I pretended to shop on Pinterest.)

All in all, renting is exciting! It’s stressful and really scary at first but its all about adjusting to adulthood and making sacrifices of what you want for what you need. So, enjoy your renting process and go adult as best as you can.

Resource: http://uwmpost.com/fringe/renting-its-a-process