Introducing Lettey, a New App that Leverages the Power of Social Networks to Help Renters Find—and Rent—an Apartment in NYC

Landlord- and Broker-Friendly Marketplace is the First-Ever Real Estate Platform to Apply Social Proof and Peer-to-Peer Feedback to Empower Renters and Optimize Their Apartment Search

Lettey Launches with Listings from Market-Leading Brokerages Douglas Elliman and Corcoran, Features Integrations with Lemonade and TransUnion

NEW YORK, March 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lettey—a new mobile-based residential leasing marketplace for renters, brokers and landlords that for the first time ever, leverages the power of social media and peer-to-peer feedback to help users find an apartment to rent or to sublet—is pleased to announce that its innovative app is now available to download for iOS and Android.

Lettey simplifies the rental process by applying social proof to the decision-making process, empowering users to make better decisions based on direct feedback from their friends and family while optimizing their search. After connecting their Facebook and/or Contacts to the platform, users can see which neighborhoods their connections live in via an intuitive, filterable map; search thousands of listings across New York City; review their peers’ ratings; and then pick an apartment based on their preferences. Lettey is the first platform to apply social proof and peer-to-peer feedback as tools to the home search process.

“Lettey offers a new approach to renting an apartment that simply hasn’t existed before in the rental space. By tapping into neighborhood feedback provided directly from your personal connections, Lettey helps people find places they love with input from the people they trust the most,” said Nick Szuch, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Lettey.

The app makes its debut in the New York City market with a wide range of listings available to search from landlords and brokerage firms large and small—including world-class brokerages Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Nest Seekers, Compass and more. The platform accepts brokerage data feeds that refresh hourly, making sure renters benefit from the most current inventory. Similarly, text-enabled communication shortens the response lag between listers and prospects.

Lettey is free to list and to browse, making it attractive for landlords and their agents—as well as people looking to sublet their apartments—to market their listings.

“People want know where their friends live, how accessible and diverse a neighborhood is, and how much value they’re going to get for their money. Lettey is designed to take the stress out of finding your next apartment and make it fun—and get people away from the typical Craigslist experience, which lacks social proof and can be quite disenfranchising,” said Jessica Rosner, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Lettey. “Peer to peer feedback is especially helpful if you’re relocating to the city or are unfamiliar with the differences of a particular neighborhood.”

Lettey’s customer discovery revealed that 84 percent of renters are ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to rent an apartment in the same neighborhood where members of their networks live. Respondents also felt overwhelmingly that the most difficult aspect of renting or subletting in New York is picking the right neighborhood; Lettey’s platform solves for both challenges.

Why Use Lettey?
Lettey streamlines the rental and subletting process, offering convenient in-app services like background checks by TransUnion that can be sent directly to a landlord or broker and comprehensive renter’s insurance from Lemonade. The app features convenient, text-enabled messaging that lets users communicate directly with brokers and landlords to ask questions or schedule a showing.

“Our goal is to both humanize—and modernize—the apartment rental process,” added Rosner. “The entire process can be done from your phone—from purchasing renters’ insurance or sending your financial information securely to connecting directly with the landlord or broker via SMS-enabled chatting to set up a tour.”  

Lettey’s intuitive, filterable map offers users a humanized approach to finding a home by focusing on peer-to-peer influencers and feedback, offering ratings on each neighborhood’s Accessibility, Diversity, Fun and Value. For those that need assistance, Lettey offers responsive customer service and tech support to help users get back on track.

“Lettey gives finding an apartment a completely new look by providing users with authentic feedback directly from friends and family on a tech-forward, easy-to-use platform,” said Hal Gavzie, Executive Director of Leasing at Douglas Elliman Real Estate. “We are thrilled to list with Lettey from the get-go and believe our agents will benefit significantly from showcasing their listings in this way to a new generation of tech-savvy clients.”

Lettey was founded in 2021 by Jessica Rosner and Nick Szuch, Columbia Business School classmates who were inspired to create a modern solution to renting an apartment after sharing their experiences about trying to find an apartment online. Moving forward, the angel-investor-backed platform plans to expand its offerings to additional major metro areas across the United States.

DIGITAL ASSETS: Please click here to view and download images of the Lettey app and/or images of Lettey’s co-founders:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/uwrco3s3hqtyd6m/AABuHeJ3xg3UyOC686QfohMKa?dl=0

ABOUT LETTEY
Lettey is a free app-based residential leasing marketplace that simplifies the rental process by leveraging the power of social networks, allowing users to see where their peers live, search thousands of listings in their local market, and then pick an apartment based on their connections’ authentic neighborhood ratings. Lettey is designed to remove pain points for renters, brokers and landlords alike, offering convenient in-app services including rent payment via Stripe, credit reports by TransUnion and renter’s insurance from Lemonade.

Lettey was founded in 2021 by Jessica Rosner and Nick Szuch, grad school classmates who were inspired to create a modern solution to renting an apartment after sharing their experiences about trying to find an apartment online.

For more information visit https://lettey.com.

Media Contact:
Greg McGunagle
Transmitter PR
[email protected]
O: 212.967.1449
C: 914.912.0841

Investor Contact:
Nicholas Szuch
Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Lettey
[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b02ca3ce-06e3-4061-89b2-ace0fd9a5276