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RentSmallSmall
Techstars '21Dover, US · Founded 2018 · 25 employees on LinkedIn · 12 known investors
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RentSmallSmall operates a rental platform that lets tenants search for housing and pay their rent on a monthly schedule rather than in larger upfront lump sums. The service is aimed at renters in markets where landlords typically require several months or a year of rent in advance.
Also known as Rent Small Small · SmallSmall
Investors · 12
How we know: research · techinafrica.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Also in the syndicate · 9
Company profile
researched Sep 2026RentSmallSmall, operating under the SmallSmall brand, is a property technology company serving the Nigerian rental market, where tenants are customarily required to pay one to two years of rent upfront along with high transaction fees. The platform lets renters find homes and pay as they stay on a monthly basis, and positions itself between landlords and tenants: customers search listings on the website and mobile app, schedule inspections directly (including virtual inspections) without an agent, and avoid agency, legal and inspection fees. On the supply side, the company offers landlords vetted tenants, steady income and property management, and interacts with both sides monthly to drive resolution of maintenance and tenancy issues.
The business has expanded beyond its original letting product into adjacent lines. Buy2Let addresses real estate investment and was created to control housing quality by partnering with developers, with facility management retained by the company. StayOne provides living spaces billed on a nightly basis, and Furnisure addresses furnishing needs. The company has also described introducing emergency maintenance coverage giving property owners access to funds for electrical, plumbing and similar repairs.
Founding story
The company was founded in 2018 by Tunde Balogun, Naomi Olaghere and Pidah Tnadah to address the time consumption and payment difficulties of renting. Co-founder and CEO Tunde Balogun has a business management background and had conducted real estate businesses in Asia and other developed markets; on returning to Nigeria he found the flexible rental arrangements available elsewhere were inaccessible, and the founders identified a gap in payment options for tenants who needed homes but lacked the required upfront sum.
Business model
The company intermediates between property owners and renters, converting annual or biannual upfront rent obligations into monthly payments for tenants while guaranteeing landlords steady income and vetted tenants. It waives agency, legal and inspection fees for its customers and provides property and facility management. Product lines span long-stay letting, Buy2Let for real estate investment, StayOne for nightly-payment stays, and Furnisure for furnishing.
Landlords receive an additional 10-15% on their monthly payments in exchange for the tenant-default protection the company provides, indicating a margin taken on rental flows; the company does not charge tenants agency, legal or inspection fees.
Traction
More than 25,000 monthly stays had been booked in Lagos and Abuja, with users staying an average of 17 months. Since 2018 more than 476,000 people had signed up for the platform, of which 80,000 were on a waiting list and almost 1,500 had been served. The company reported a rent default rate below 7%, and said it had saved property owners more than $1.5 million in damages and tenants more than $1.2 million in broker fees.
Latest developments
A $3 million seed round comprising $2 million in equity and $1 million in debt was raised to expand operations across Nigeria, fund flexible housing solutions and home-purchase financing, and strengthen technology and partnerships with landlords, developers and property and asset managers. The company targeted expansion into Port Harcourt, Enugu and Jos by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
The company operates in Nigerian proptech, addressing a rental system built on lump-sum payments and year-long tenancy agreements. It was described as the first African proptech startup admitted to the Techstars Toronto Accelerator Program, in 2021.
Tenants pay monthly rather than the one- to two-year upfront lump sum standard in Nigeria, and pay no agency, legal or inspection fees. The company removes the agent from the transaction, offers virtual inspections, guarantees landlords against tenant default while paying them an additional 10-15% on monthly payments, and controls housing quality through Buy2Let developments it also manages.
Technology
Web and mobile applications support home search, self-scheduled physical inspections and virtual inspections that the company says convey information comparable to an in-person viewing, shortening the time required relative to traditional rental processes. Technology is also used for tenant vetting and ongoing property management.
Go-to-market
Distribution runs through the company's website and mobile app, where customers browse listings and book physical or virtual inspections without an agent. Growth relies on partnerships with landlords, developers, property managers and asset managers, plus expansion into additional Nigerian cities.
Renters in Nigeria, particularly young professionals and millennials who need quality housing but cannot make the large upfront payments the traditional market requires, alongside landlords, developers, property managers and asset managers on the supply side.
Geography
Operations centre on Nigeria, with activity in Lagos and Abuja and stated plans to expand into Port Harcourt, Enugu and Jos by the end of the first quarter of 2023. Listed locations include Iju and Aja in Lagos, Nigeria, and Dover, Delaware, United States.
History
Founded in 2018, RentSmallSmall started as a property letting product offering seamless home search and free inspection. In 2021 it joined the Techstars Toronto Accelerator Program, raising $120,000 as part of a pre-seed round. It subsequently launched Buy2Let for real estate investment and StayOne for nightly-payment stays, and by 2022 was offering Furnisure for furnishing. In late 2022 it raised $3 million in seed funding to expand across Nigeria.
Risks & controversies
The company has cited difficulty sourcing quality homes in a market with many poorly built properties, which consumes property-management time and has drawn customer complaints even though the company does not own the properties. It also carries tenant-default exposure through its guarantee to landlords, with reported default below 7%.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsThe company aimed to expand into three additional Nigerian cities by the end of the first quarter of 2023.
The company raised $3 million in seed funding, composed of $2 million in equity and $1 million in debt, to expand operations across Nigeria, support flexible housing solutions and home-purchase financing, and improve technology and partnerships with landlords, developers, property managers and asset managers. Investors included Oyster VC, Asymmetry Ventures, Vivaz and Niche Capital, plus angels Sean Fannan (Chartboost), Adam Meghji (Universe), Jimmy Ku (Flutterwave), Samir Goel and Wemimo Abbey (Esusu), Jason Njoku (Iroko) and Tunde Kara (Vendease).
$3M source ↗
Launched to control the quality of homes available for rent by partnering with developers, with facility management retained by the company.
Described as the first African proptech startup to enter the Techstars Toronto Accelerator Program; the company received $120,000 as part of its pre-seed round.
$120K source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- SmallSmall, a property tech startup, raises $3 million for seamless rentals - Tech In Africatechinafrica.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does RentSmallSmall do?
- Nigerian proptech offering monthly rent payments, letting tenants avoid the customary one- to two-year upfront rent lump sum.
- Who are RentSmallSmall's investors?
- RentSmallSmall's investors include Asymmetry Ventures, Niche Capital, Techstars.
- Where is RentSmallSmall headquartered?
- RentSmallSmall is headquartered in Dover, US.