SmoothRent, a Nigerian startup is building a reward-driven digital ecosystem that simplifies the rental journey for tenants and landlords across Nigeria.
The startup tackles the problems of fake listings, multiple agent fees, opaque payment processes, and inefficient property management by offering verified virtual tours, secure rent payments, rental credits, insurance integration, and smart landlord tools, all in one platform.
In this edition of Techparley’s DRIVE100, where we spotlight Africa’s most promising and impactful startups, we turn our attention to how SmoothRent, co-founded by Adebisi Taiwo (COO) and George Akande, is reimagining the entire rental experience.
“Tenants face a broken system. From fake listings to paying multiple agents, the process is stressful and costly. We want to simplify it, secure it, and make it rewarding,” Adebisi told Techparley.
The SmoothRent Solution
According to SmoothRent, it approaches the rental challenge holistically, developing an integrated platform that connects verified properties, secure payments, insurance cover, and loyalty rewards.
Key Features and Benefits
1. Verified Virtual Tours
No more paying agents to visit non-existent homes. Users can take authentic, verified virtual tours directly on the app, saving time and money.
2. Secure Rent Payments
The platform enables seamless rent payments with full transparency, ensuring tenants and landlords have confidence at every step.
3. Rental Credits & Referral Income
SmoothRent’s reward-driven model allows renters to earn while renting, a first-of-its-kind approach in Africa’s PropTech industry.
4. Household Insurance Integration
The platform provides optional insurance coverage, protecting tenants from unexpected household losses.
5. Smart Property Management Tools for Landlords
Landlords can list properties, automate rent collection, manage tenants, and improve property visibility, all within one system.
How SmoothRent Stands Out
While competitors like PropertyPro, Fibre, and RentSmallSmall have created value in the Nigerian rental market, SmoothRent pushes the boundaries by creating a loyalty-based, reward-driven rental ecosystem.
Although still in the development stage, SmoothRent says it has achieved notable progress:
- MVP Development: The product is in its final development phase.
- Partnership Talks: Ongoing discussions with a credit finance company and an insurance provider to support rental credit and household insurance plans.
- Community Building: Early adopters and potential users already engaged through digital channels.
- Agent & Landlord Onboarding Structure: Processes for verified property owners and agents are being finalised ahead of launch.
For a startup still pre-launch, SmoothRent has already positioned itself as a serious contender in Africa’s emerging rent-tech space.
Meet the Founders Behind SmoothRent
Adebisi Taiwo – Co-founder & COO
Adebisi drives operations, strategy, and product execution. His vision for a reward-based rental framework stems from lived experiences navigating Nigeria’s fragmented rental process.
George Akande – Co-founder & CTO
George oversees the platform’s technical architecture and development. His expertise ensures SmoothRent is built to scale securely, efficiently, and reliably.
Together, the duo blends operational insight with technical depth, an essential combination for solving problems in a sector as complex as real estate.
Why SmoothRent Matters
Over the next few years, the startup wants to onboard 1,000+ verified properties, grow its user base to 10,000 renters, finalise partnerships with credit and insurance institutions, and introduce AI-powered rent scoring and predictive analytics.
SmoothRent is not merely digitising rentals, it is building a more transparent, secure, and rewarding ecosystem for both tenants and property owners.
By integrating finance, insurance, virtual tours, loyalty rewards, and property management into one system, experts say the startup is redefining what it means to rent in Africa.
With clear vision, disciplined execution, and a product designed for real-world challenges, analysts added that SmoothRent has the potential to reshape the rental landscape across Nigeria and eventually the continent.
Talking Points
It is impressive that SmoothRent is tackling one of Nigeria’s most frustrating housing challenges, which is the lack of transparency, trust, and efficiency in the rental process, by offering verified virtual tours, secure rent payments, and a reward-driven ecosystem that gives renters more value for their money.
This approach positions SmoothRent as a practical solution for real pain points both tenants and landlords face, particularly in a market crowded with fake listings, multiple agent fees, and unreliable payment processes.
By integrating verification, insurance, and payments into one platform, SmoothRent brings much-needed structure to a sector long defined by fragmentation.
At Techparley, we see how a unified digital ecosystem like SmoothRent can significantly reduce rent-related fraud, simplify property management, and build trust between stakeholders, laying a strong foundation for digital transformation in Nigeria’s housing market.
With the right support, SmoothRent has the potential to become a transformational player in Nigeria’s rent-tech space and a catalyst for a more transparent, secure, and rewarding rental experience across Africa.
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