open house

finding housing in 3 easy steps

swipe

swipe right to match with your next roomie (AKA your new best friend)

swipe

swipe right on your perfect housing match

sign

sign the lease on your perfect home with your new best friend

Our goal is to make housing open and honest for everyone.

Housing is hard to find in Madison, and we want to make it easier for you. This app removes the hassle. We consider your budget, where you want to live, what amenities you want your apartment to have…and we even have a roommate matching quiz. Additionally, we have features for renters to sub-lease their places.

Why Choose Us?

Free to Use & No Hidden Fees
Simple and Intuitive App Interface
Includes Roommate Finding + Messaging Feature
Meet-Ups and Fundraising Events For App Users

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Try it out!

Click on the arrows below to see our app’s layout and start your journey with OpenHouse today! With features for renters, lessers and sub-lessers, our app is your one-stop-shop for all things housing!

Get-to-Know Our Features 😉

OpenHouse was made with everyone in mind.

Find Housing

OpenHouse shows you various house and apartments based off of YOUR preferences, and recommends others to you! Whether it be location or price…we’ve got you covered.

Find Roommates

OpenHouse allows you to filter for roommates based off of…preferences! Whether it be how late you stay up, hobbies, age, or gender. We’ll make sure you find your new BFF.

Sub-Leasing + Leasing

OpenHouse helps you to sub-lease your place. Users can create and edit their posting on your dashboard. We make sure that your business is secure.

Messaging

Another feature our app has is a messaging feature. We help you respond to messages from interested potential roomies and lessees. if it doesn’t work out, just remove them!

Learn more!

Renters

Lessors

what our users have to say

“It’s like Tinder but for apartments. I can sort by price point and location to campus, and see listings by landlords and students trying to sublet. It was a huge time saver.”

hello

Maddy Lu, Sophomore international student at UW-Madison

“I know people do Instagram dating or you add people randomly off Snapchat or Instagram, so I feel like having an app where people are actively searching for housing like a dating app makes the process a lot quicker.”

Amanda Comin, Freshman Elementary Education student at UW-Madison

“Signing up for OpenHouse is incredibly helpful. I have had years where ⅓ of my units are unoccupied because I don’t no have the same manpower of these huge conglomerate lessors.”

Kevin Buckingham, small Madison Landlord.

Check us out!

FAQ

Can I change from sub-leaser to renter or vice-versa?

Can I sign a lease through the app?

What happens at the community events?

How does the matching process work?

Our matching process works the same way as the matching process on dating apps, but the only difference is you’re swiping to find housing and roommates. Click on the “housing matching” or “roomie matching” tabs to get started.

To like a listing or potential roommate, swipe right, if you want to pass, simply swipe left. When you swipe right on a listing that you like, a text conversation will appear under your “my matches” tab, so you can reach out to lessors directly. The process for roommate matching is almost the same. The only difference is you can’t “match” with a potential roommate unless both of you swipe right on each other, and only then will a text conversation appear under the “my matches” tab where you can contact them directly.

How do I get verified?

For Lessors

Property verification

During your account setup, you’ll be asked if you want to verify your property. This is voluntary, but it can help you appear more credible to potential tenants. If you want to verify your property after you’ve set up your account, you can do so by editing your profile.
If you choose to verify your property, you’ll first be asked to select which units you’d like to verify, or if you’d like to verify the entire property.
Next, you’ll need to schedule a time for our team to come and inspect the property and units. If you’d like to verify a high volume of units, you may be asked to schedule inspection times over the course of a few days.
Lastly, you’ll be prompted to pay a non-refundable fee of (). This covers the cost for our team to check out the features of your listed rental units to verify that they match the app listing.
That’s it! It may take up to 24 hours to show that you’re verified in the app.
If you have any questions or concerns following your property inspection, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (800)-000-0000. We’re always happy to help!

For Non-Lessors

Photo verification

During your account setup, you’ll be asked to photo verify your account. You cannot start matching on the app until you complete this step, as it ensures users can stay safe when they’re swiping.
To complete the photo verification, you’ll be asked to take a short video selfie showing your face from all angles.
Once you submit your video, our photo matching technology will use your video to verify the photos you submitted match.
If the photo verification was unsuccessful, resubmit your video and reverify

Student verification

During your account setup, you’ll also be asked if you want to verify your student status. This is voluntary, but it helps potential roommates from your school find you.
To verify your student status, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your school email address.
Next, we’ll send an email to your school email address asking you to confirm your account.
Once you’ve confirmed your account, you should be student verified, and your school’s logo should show up after your name. However, it may take up to 24 hours for your student status to show up in the app.

**Photo or property verified only vs. Photo + student verified**
*UW-Madison logo used as an example

For more info, contact us via email or connect with us on socials!

Making housing transparent and accessible, one swipe at a time.

swipe

swipe

sign

Our goal is to make housing open and honest for everyone.

Why Choose Us?

Get-to-Know Our Features 😉

Find Housing

Find Roommates

Sub-Leasing + Leasing

Messaging

Maddy Lu, Sophomore international student at UW-Madison

Amanda Comin, Freshman Elementary Education student at UW-Madison

Kevin Buckingham, small Madison Landlord.

Stay Up-to-Date

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Finding Housing as a Person of Color in Madison: A Mexican American Perspective

For LGBTQ+ Students, Housing Can Be a Struggle Beyond Availability

How One Student and Her Cat Navigated Madison’s Tough Rental Market

OpenHouse: A transparent, stress-free alternative in the transfer-student housing search

The Solo Search

Finding Housing as a Non-Drinker

The Housing Search for Agriculture Students

Can I change from sub-leaser to renter or vice-versa?

Can I sign a lease through the app?

What happens at the community events?

How does the matching process work?

How do I get verified?