For many Nigerians, finding a home remains one of the most stressful experiences in daily life. That’s precisely the gap Rentville, a fast-rising Nigerian proptech startup, is stepping in to fill.
In this edition of Techparley’s DRIVE100, where we spotlight Africa’s most promising startups, we turn our attention to Rentville, founded by Emmanuel Olagbemisoye, a proptech platform simplifying how people find and list homes in Nigeria.
“We were born out of a shared frustration with the traditional renting process, paying multiple agent fees, chasing unreliable listings, and wasting time viewing houses that don’t match your needs. Rentville was built to change that,” Emmanuel told Techparley.
According to Emmanuel, his vision evolved into Rentville, a mobile-first housing platform that allows users to discover verified apartments, list vacant homes, and even earn by helping others find accommodation.
What You Should Know
Unlike traditional property platforms that rely heavily on agents or developers, Rentville connects renters directly to homeowners or trusted listers. This eliminates unnecessary middlemen and reduces the risk of fraud; a major concern in Nigeria’s real estate market.
While other platforms prioritise listings volume, Rentville says it prioritises authenticity. Each apartment is verified before it goes live, and users can connect instantly with owners through the in-app chat feature.
The startup has also introduced flatmate matching, helping users find compatible co-tenants with ease, an increasingly popular trend among young professionals in cities like Lagos and Abuja.
“We’re building a housing ecosystem powered by trust and community,” Emmanuel explained. “Whether you’re listing your spare room or searching for your next home, Rentville helps you do it confidently and conveniently.”
Milestones and Early Traction
Despite launching its Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in July 2025, Rentville has made significant progress. The startup says it already boasts over 1,000 registered users, hundreds of verified listings, and growing traction across Lagos and neighbouring states.
Key product features include:
- Verified Listings – Every property is reviewed to ensure authenticity.
- In-App Chat – Real-time communication between renters, listers, and flatmates.
- Flatmate Matching – Smart suggestions for compatible shared-living arrangements.
- List-to-Earn – A soon-to-launch feature rewarding users for listing or referring homes.
Rentville’s strength lies in its lean but passionate team, combining backgrounds in product design, software engineering, and real estate. Each team member shares the same mission: to make renting simpler, smarter, and community-driven.
“Our advantage is empathy,” Emmanuel noted. “We’ve lived through these problems ourselves — so we’re not just building for users, we’re building as users.”
Challenges and Lessons Along the Way
Like many early-stage startups, Rentville’s journey hasn’t been without hurdles. According to Emmanuel, one of its biggest challenges has been visibility, standing out in Nigeria’s crowded proptech space without a large marketing budget.
“Publicity has been tough,” Emmanuel admitted. “We don’t have the funds for massive influencer campaigns, so we’ve focused on storytelling and community marketing. It’s slower, but the growth we get is real and loyal.”
Over the next 6 to 12 months, Rentville plans to scale adoption and refine its user experience. The roadmap includes expanding listings across Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, growing the user base from 1,000 to 10,000+ active users, and launching the List-to-Earn referral system to reward community engagement.
In the long term, Emmanuel envisions Rentville becoming the most trusted home-finding platform in Africa, enabling anyone to find, list, and earn from real homes, all from their phone.
Understanding the Nigeria’s Housing Ecosystem
Nigeria’s residential leasing market is substantial and still growing. According to market data, the country’s real-estate market is expected to achieve a value of $2.61 trillion by 2025.
As a founder immersed in Nigeria’s fast-evolving digital economy, Emmanuel believes the government has a critical role to play in nurturing innovation.
“If I were the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy,” he said, “I’d launch a National Startup Grant & Equity Fund to support underrepresented founders, and set up Regional Innovation Hubs that provide access to co-working spaces, mentorship, and government data APIs.”
For now, experts say Rentville continues to bridge one of Nigeria’s most persistent gaps, the housing challenge through technology, trust, and community, and could do so for long with the right planning.
Talking Points
It is impressive that Rentville is tackling one of Nigeria’s most persistent challenges, the lack of transparency and trust in the rental housing market.
By building a platform that prioritises verified listings and direct communication between renters and owners, Rentville is addressing a pain point that affects millions of Nigerians every year. This community-driven approach stands out in a sector dominated by middlemen and unreliable listings.
Rentville’s design, which allows users to list vacant homes, find flatmates, and connect instantly with listers through in-app chat, positions it as a practical and people-centred solution for the modern Nigerian renter.
At Techparley, we see how technology like this can reshape urban living experiences and drive inclusion in the housing ecosystem. By blending digital trust systems with local community participation, Rentville isn’t just solving a rental problem, it’s helping to rebuild confidence in Nigeria’s real estate market.
With continued innovation and the right ecosystem support, Rentville has the potential to redefine how Africans find, rent, and manage homes, making house-hunting not just easier, but truly rewarding.
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