Presenter pitches home-sharing platform as fast option to free rental units

A presenter recommended the Task Force explore a commercial home-sharing platform (identified in the meeting as “Nestor Lee”) to match homeowners who have spare bedrooms with renters who need housing. The presenter, a retired physician who has studied home-sharing models, said the platform provides background checks, a written contract, monthly rent collection (the platform collects a small percentage), and dispute-resolution services. She said the service requires a one-time client fee (noted in the meeting as between $95 and $195) and typically keeps about 2.5% of monthly rent. The presenter said the company would prefer to enter a market with a local partner agency and a critical mass of hosts (the presenter said the company seeks approximately 50 local hosts before launching in a new area). Organizers highlighted nonfinancial benefits for homeowners — companionship, help with household tasks, and the ability to cover rising housing costs — and said the model can be structured to allow in-kind work in exchange for reduced rent. The presenter said the company’s background checks include national criminal checks, sex-offender registry checks and address-history verification, and that it can perform income verification on request. Task Force members expressed interest in recruiting hosts and in having a partner agency work with the platform. The presenter said she had a local contact list of interested hosts and will present more details to the Task Force in October.