Bedly raises $2.7 million to make renting an apartment a little less horrible

Craigslist is great for serial killers and spear-phishers, but less than ideal for anyone looking for housing.

As a platform for renters, Bedly aims to take some of the pain out of the housing-rental process — and it’s hoping that’s a draw for landlords too. Co-founded by Martin Greenberg, formerly of IBM’s cybersecurity team, and Benjamin Chester, Bedly takes care of all the annoying stuff on both ends. For renters, that means furnishing apartments, screening roommates and setting up utilities. For landlords, that means attracting young professionals who don’t want to deal with the hassle of logistics, and offering property rentals through a clean, navigable platform.

Like Airbnb in its frictionless ideal, Bedly instead concentrates on medium to long-term stays (think 3 months, 6 months and so on) rather than a per-night model. Once a renter is in Bedly’s network, the company wants to make it easy for them to move around if a place isn’t quite the right fit. Because 95 percent of its listings are pre-furnished, that’s not as much of an ordeal as it would be with a traditional rental. On top of furniture, Bedly unit pricing factors in furnishings (even bed linens and kitchen items), Wi-Fi and secure access via a pre-programmed digital lock.

“Landlords haven’t changed their products in a very, very long time,” Bedly co-founder Martin Greenberg said. “The old way is antiquated and makes no sense for the new generation of renters.” Greenberg emphasizes mobility for its renters, boasting that the company does away with the concept of a 12-month lease altogether. “You’re not locked in, from a flexibility perspective.”

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