Brother and sister want to end roomie chaos on social media with new platform: “It’s about community and well-being”

When young people are looking for a roomie, the search often begins in one of countless Facebook groups.

Rooms are posted, interested parties write in, and a process of messages, conversations, quick assessments and a sense of time pressure ensues. For those looking for accommodation, it can be hard to stand out. For those who have a room, it can be hard to see who actually fits in.

This is exactly the process that siblings Victor and Celine Rodam want to make more structured with the Roomii platform.

“We are building a platform where you can search for roomies. Both as a landlord and as a tenant. Right now, most of it takes place on Facebook, where people post their apartments and rooms, and then people write in. That’s what we’ve brought together in one platform,” explains Celine Rodam.

Roomii is built as a niche platform for young people who are either looking for a room or a new person for an existing roommate. The ambition is not just to move Facebook posts to a new platform, but to change the very way you find a roomie.

For Victor Rodam, it’s all about creating an alternative to a process that today can be both random and opaque.

“Our biggest competitor is Facebook groups. But they can be very controlled by administrators who are really just normal people, and the rules are different from group to group. As a landlord, it can also be super frustrating to use,” he says.

Had to find a roomie myself

Roomii began with Celines Rodam’s own experience of finding a new person for her community.

She and her roommates had a room that needed a new occupant. They interviewed several candidates and spent time trying to figure out who would fit in. But the process quickly became time-pressured.

“I’ve been in a situation where we had to find a new roomie. The idea really came about because it was taking a really long time. Then I went to my brother with the idea, and he took it and was like: We’ll do that,” says Celine Rodam.

According to Victor Rodam, the experience showed how skewed the process can often be. On Facebook, you typically post and wait for the right people to post. But there’s no guarantee that they will.

“On social media, it’s a bit like casting a fishing rod. Then you sit and wait for someone to post. It just becomes a bit too random. We think it would be really nice if the whole process was something that made more sense,” he says.

For the siblings, the point of Roomii is that the choice of roomie means more than the process often suggests. A roomie is not just someone who pays rent. It’s someone you share the kitchen, everyday life, cleaning, evenings and social settings with.

“It becomes a big part of your everyday life. It becomes like a little family in a way. That’s why we think it sometimes gets a little too random,” says Victor Rodam.

Celine Rodam points out that time constraints can mean that you end up choosing more practical than ideal.

“In the end, you just kind of have to choose someone. Then it’s just a more or less random person, because it just fits in terms of time. And maybe you could have found someone who fit in even better,” she says.

People before homes

Roomii is therefore trying to put people before housing. Practicalities like rent, location and move-in date still play a role, but the platform is built around the idea that the human match is just as important.

Users can create profiles, add pictures and describe themselves. They can also share information about everyday habits that are often only uncovered late in a traditional “roomie process.” How often do you have guests? Do you smoke? Do you go out a lot? Do you want a social community or primarily a quiet home?

“The basic idea was that you shouldn’t just make a post. You should match people better. It’s about finding an apartment and a person who are the best possible match. But we came to the conclusion that the apartment was perhaps a little subordinate, and that it’s actually the people that are the most important thing,” says Victor Rodam.

According to Celine Rodam, this is also the logic around which the match system is built.

“All the things that are mentioned are also what we base our matching system on. We’re working on making an even better system so that you can connect faster with someone you match exactly with,” she says.

Safety is another key element. While Facebook profiles can be more or less complete, Roomii works with a more uniform framework for how users present themselves. In the long term, the siblings will also look at validation to make it clearer who you are communicating with.

“We want our platform to be safe to use, so you know who you’re writing to and who you’re meeting with,” says Celine Rodam.

Victor Rodam also sees Roomii as a way to remove noise from the process. Where Facebook contains everything from events to debate tracks and random posts, Roomii is built for one task.

“Roomii cuts out all the noise that is on social media. We focus on cutting to the bone. You have to find the best place to live with the right people,” he says.

Now has over 500 users

Roomii has been live since March 1st and is still in a very early phase. Nevertheless, according to the founders, the platform has already gained over 500 users without any form of paid marketing. Users have primarily come through posts and activity in Facebook groups in Aarhus and Copenhagen.

“We’ve spent zero money on marketing so far. We have over 500 users now since March 1, and the only thing we’ve really done is post in Facebook groups in Aarhus and Copenhagen,” says Victor Rodam.

The early interest confirms to them that the need is there. But it also shows where the next challenge lies. Many people are looking for rooms, so one of the big focus points now is to get more homes and landlords onto the platform.

“Right now, our focus is on reaching people. But at the same time, our platform is our product, so it’s all about optimizing it and figuring out how to make it better,” says Celine Rodam.

Roomii is currently available on the web, but an app is on the way. According to Victor Rodam, the product is a natural fit for mobile because the process is very much about messaging, continuous contact and quick reactions.

At the same time, Victor and Celine are building Rodam Roomii alongside their studies. Victor studies IT architecture and is responsible for technical development, while Celine studies e-commerce and digital marketing and works with marketing, advertising and user understanding.

“Victor is very technical and I study e-commerce and digital marketing. So I have a lot of input on how to get it out there and how to optimize the site, for example. In that way, it works really well together,” says Celine Rodam.

The ambition is that Roomii will eventually become the first place young people think of when looking for a roommate. Not just as a housing platform, but as a platform for better communities.

“We want to be the natural platform to go to when looking for the right community,” says Victor Rodam.

For Celine Rodam, it’s also about something bigger than the search for accommodation. Many young people are moving away from home for the first time when they look for roommates. Therefore, the right community can have a big impact on well-being, community and everyday life.

“It’s about putting people first. It’s about creating a sense of community and well-being during your teenage years, and for many people it’s the first place they move out,” she says.