Company: London Rent My House
Founder: Matthew Parker
The proposition: A site enabling Londoners to rent out their property, during the Olympics or any time
Website: www.londonrentmyhouse.com This year places to stay in London are at a premium, and many visitors – especially families – would prefer to rent privately than pay hotel rates (even if they can get a booking).
Matthew Parker set up Londonrentmyhouse.com five years ago, to put 2012 Olympic visitors, media and athletes together with London homeowners – and also to help Londoners make the most of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cash in on a short-term private rental.
“I’m a web developer myself and could see there was no other website at the time with the idea, so felt this would be a great challenge,” he says.
That was in 2007. It is now “all hands on deck” to manage the surge in site traffic caused by the Games. A huge range of properties in and around London are available for rental and the site is now in full swing. Activity has grown to such an extent that a sister site
www.sporteventsrentmyhouse.com was created to cover the potential market in global sport events.
Parker says: “After the Olympics, I would like to expand Londonrentmyhouse.com into a general London private rental portal for Londoners who would like to offer private accommodation to tourists, students and business visitors, as well as tourists coming for major events such as the Notting Hill Carnival, Wimbledon and Lord’s cricket."