Niche flatmate listings website

People advertising a room or looking for one, and sometimes landlords or agents who want to reach your audience.

Fees for posting a room, paid memberships for contacting people, or featured listings. Local advertising from removal firms or furniture rental can add a little.

• Building or managing a simple website
• Online marketing and local community building
• Moderating users fairly and spotting scams

• UK GDPR: you will hold personal data, so check whether you need to pay the ICO data protection fee and what privacy notices you need
• Check whether online safety rules apply to a site where users contact each other
• Fake listings and scams, plan for moderation and a way to report problems
• Charging tenants fees can be restricted in some situations, check the rules if you act for landlords or agents
• It can take time to get enough listings on both sides before income starts

Startup costs are typically around £300 to £3,000, depending on how the site is built, whether you use ready-made tools and how much you spend on early marketing. These are estimates and will vary with your approach.

Monthly revenue is typically around £100 to £3,000, depending on your listing fees or memberships and how many users you attract. These are estimates, and it can take time to build listings on both sides before income starts.

Check UK GDPR duties, including whether you need to pay the ICO data protection fee and what privacy notices you need. Also check whether online safety rules apply, plan for moderation of fake listings, and check rules on fees if you act for landlords or agents.