#RoomForTeam Why I started roomfortea

I grew up in Paris and I moved to London for university when I was 18. After graduating from the LSE, I secured an unpaid internship at a non-profit and decided to stay in London. I was excited for the opportunity to gain valuable work experience, but I soon discovered the reality of the challenges I would face balancing this professional growth opportunity with London’s high cost of living. In such a competitive market, I found it extremely difficult to find an affordable place to live in London, despite not being new to the city.
I knew these challenges were not unique to myself and I began to think about what could be done to help solve the difficulties young professionals face in finding reasonably-priced accommodation in London. It was then that the idea for roomfortea came about — I wanted to create a homesharing platform that would make it possible for young professionals moving to London to find quality, flexible, and affordable accommodation with verified hosts, and give them the opportunity to meet new people in the process.

Over the past five years roomfortea has continued to grow and our model has evolved, but our mission has remained the same: to provide a long-term solution to the challenges associated with finding quality accommodation in a big city, by providing a unique perspective that not only focuses on the financial benefits of co-living, but also its social benefits.
How does roomfortea work?
The roomfortea model is based on a major realisation: there is an abundance of spare space in cities, that could be unlocked to respond to the growing demand for accommodation globally; specifically, the spare or empty rooms found in a majority of households around the world. Roomfortea unlocks this huge potential found in cities to create inclusive co-living environments for mid-term stays.
What is a ‘mid-term’ stay?
A mid-term stay lasts between 1 and 6 months, and works to combine the flexibility of short-term contracts with the affordability and security of long-term rental agreements.
On our platform it is easy for hosts to display dates when a room is or is not available for rent, and if desired, a minimum or maximum length of stay to avoid high turnover or longer stays. Roomfortea has created a homesharing model you can trust, providing additional income from renting your spare room, and the opportunity to meet new people in a safe environment, where all guests and hosts are verified.
What’s next for roomfortea?
Over the past few years roomfortea has successfully placed hundreds of guests with friendly hosts in rooms across London. However, it has become clear that the mid-term rental market is needed beyond London. Cities all over the world are experiencing skyrocketing rental prices and inadequate housing supply and roomfortea is on a mission to become a long-term housing solution for cities globally.

