Zumper Launches Short

Srividya Kalyanaraman, Skift

March 2nd, 2023 at 5:55 AM EST

There is now another subscription service for short-term rentals.

San Francisco-based privately-owned rental platform Zumper has launched Flexpass — its subscription service targeting remote workers and digital nomads. Priced at $300 per year, the service will allow access to Zumper's listings of fully furnished short-term rentals.

Zumper's value proposition to mobile renters is convenience. The service reportedly has over half a million listings in over 100 cities and metropolises, mostly in North America, Europe and Asia. The service apartments come fully furnished and equipped and can be rented for a minimum of 30 nights without leases, security deposits, application or cleaning fees. It's unclear what exclusive benefits subscribers of Flexpass can avail of that's not already offered on Zumper.

But all these conveniences call for caution: Zumper has gotten considerable flak for not vetting properties and guarding users against scams. Just this week, a homeowner in Jacksonville, Florida was shocked to find her home listed on sites including Zumper. For its part the company warns users of potential scammers — nevetherless, The service seems to have unhappy customers flagging the need for stringent vetting processes.

Founded in 2012, Zumper claims it wants to make renting a home as easy as booking a hotel. The company has raised a total of $180 million in funding with the latest Series D round of $30 million led by Kleiner Perkins. Blackstone Group, Greylock,Greycroft, Axel Springer, Breyer Capital and Andreessen Horowitz have also invested in Zumper. The company acquired Padmapper and NowRenting in 2016 and 2019 respectively.

Srividya Kalyanaraman, Skift

March 2nd, 2023 at 5:55 AM EST

Tags: digital nomads, future of lodging, Zumper

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