The real estate market in the United Arab Emirates has a conservative nature, creating a significant financial barrier for many clients. Traditionally, properties are rented out for a year, and the entire amount must be paid upfront in a single payment. For expats, relocating professionals, and migrant workers, this often becomes a problem due to the lack of the required funds right at the start.

To solve this issue, Rentify was developed – an intermediary platform initiated by a local client. The main goal of the project was to make the housing rental process more accessible by implementing an installment payment system.The product consists of a mobile app for users and an administrative panel for managing back-office processes. The MVP was launched exclusively in English, as it is the de facto primary language for business communication in Dubai.

See in action:

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RESULTS IN NUMBERS

The foundation for accessible, flexible real estate leasing in the UAE

Key project outcomes include:

Efficient Development Velocity: The MVP was successfully delivered in just 8 months, transitioning from initial market research to a fully functional, live platform.
Stable System Infrastructure: By the project's completion, the team successfully deployed version 4.0.0 of the mobile application and version 5.0.0 of the backend, ensuring a robust and mature production environment.
Complex Ecosystem Integrations: The platform achieved seamless connectivity with 3 critical external systems essential for UAE compliance, including local banking APIs for credit assessment, government identity verification services, and the Open Loyalty platform for reward management.

months to deliver MVP

major platform versions deployed

critical ecosystem integrations

THE CHALLENGE

Technical and regional challenges during development

The project was developed from scratch. The "Discovery" phase (market research, shaping the product vision, and UI/UX design) was fully provided by the client. Technical implementation, building the architecture, and conducting technical research were tasked to our team. The collaboration involved not just executing the technical specifications but also actively discussing how to optimize processes within the app.The greatest difficulties during development were related to integrating the product into the UAE's infrastructure.Key barriers and how they were overcome:

Instability of Banking APIs: Interacting with local financial institutions was complicated by a lack of up-to-date documentation. Banks could make changes to their systems without prior notice, which required the team to respond quickly and constantly restore functionality.
Integration with State Registries: The rental process in the Emirates requires mandatory official approval (obtaining a specific certificate). Additionally, we implemented an integration with the government's passport and ID card system to verify the authenticity of users.
Bureaucratic Procedures: Gaining access to external government services took a considerable amount of time. This process required the direct participation of the client (as a country resident) to make offline requests to the relevant authorities.
Legal Fragmentation: Legislation and rental rules differ in each emirate. Because of this, the MVP could only be fully legalized and launched on the Dubai market. Scaling the platform to Abu Dhabi will require navigating a separate set of legal procedures.

The product consists of a mobile app for users and an administrative panel for managing back-office processes. The MVP was launched exclusively in English, as it is the de facto primary language for business communication in Dubai.

solution

Solution architecture: balancing interests and the loyalty system

The platform's business model is built on minimizing risks for both parties to the transaction. Rentify acts as a financial buffer: the landlord receives the entire annual rental amount upfront from the platform, while the tenant gets the opportunity to pay this amount to the service monthly (or on a different schedule) with a small commission included.Key functional modules of the platform:

Clear Role Division: The app features separate registration flows and strict verification processes for Landlords and Tenants.
Listings and Matching: Property owners create listings, set prices, and specify their preferred conditions. Tenants, in turn, find accommodation and agree on the terms of interaction.

An important component of the project was the gamification system. A loyalty program was developed to encourage financial discipline and agreement flexibility.How the reward system works:

Landlord Bonuses: Awarded if the property owner makes concessions (for example, agreeing to receive the payment in two or four installments instead of a single lump sum).
Tenant Bonuses: Granted for making timely payments and having no complaints against them.
Reward Redemption: Users can convert their accumulated points into discounts on their next month's rent, a reduction in platform fees, or gift certificates from partners.

RESULTS & IMPACT

Launch and market reaction

Work on the project lasted about 8 months. By the time our team completed the development, the Rentify mobile app was successfully released and became fully operational. The primary goal – providing the ability to rent housing with split payments – was successfully achieved.The reaction from the target audience proved to be highly positive. The customer support team recorded a strong demand to expand the service's geographical reach to other emirates.