Tenants in buildings throughout the city are using all sorts of different networks to stay in touch with one another these days. Bushwick artist commune Castlebraid famously uses a private Facebook group, but that's so passé. This week it's all about Tenant King. TechCrunch says the website is meant to replace standalone services like Airbnb and Craigslist by connecting building tenants in times of needfor example, when looking to sublet an apartment or get rid of some large furniture. Tenant King's co-founder says that in some of the 400 buildings the website is used in throughout the city, 50 percent of listings end in transactions (And when trying to ditch that mistake of a white leather couch, that's a good thing.)
What sets Tenant King apart from Facebook or other similar services is its vetting process to determine if a tenant lives in a building. It requires users to verify their residency either by entering a code mailed to the address, scanning a utility bill, or giving Tenant King a credit card number tied to the address. By contrast, TechCrunch says, websites like Nextdoor let neighbors vouch for each other's address. And Facebook? Well, forget it.
Tenant King is currently only available in New York City, but will soon roll out in other city's throughout the country.
· Tenant King Creates Local Marketplaces Within High-Rise Buildings [TC]
· Tenant King [official]
· Here's Proof That Bushwick's Castlebraid Is Really a Commune [Curbed]