10,000 Flats in 30+ Countries!

In other exciting news, we’ve reached a remarkable milestone: 10,000 flats posted on FlatClub!

From our humble beginnings with 5 flats in London, we’ve grown by leaps and bounds. Now we’ve got 1000x that number of flats in the UK with 5194 flats as of today!

Not only that, but we’ve expanded into over 40 countries all together, with over 30 flats in 27 of those countries. We’ve got 1000s of flats in the USA, Spain, and Italy - and 38 in Thailand.

Yes, it’s interesting to know that we have flats in places as diverse as Hungary, Switzerland, the Caribbean, and Nigeria!

While we haven’t written relocation guides for all of our locations yet, we do have quite a few: most recently we’ve added Copenhagen & Munich, and we have guides for many other European and American cities.

Wherever our hosts are, we offer personalized support and lots of tips that come from experience. Wherever our guests want to go, we can help them get there and stay somewhere where they feel comfortable.

We’re sure that our latest round of funding will help us to expand even further, and take us further away from home - so to speak.

If you're looking to go further afield yourself, we can help with our Expert Search! Our Expert Search team will help you find your perfect accommodation -- for free.

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Our 2nd Round of Investment

We’re excited to announce that we’ve secured another round of funding - $1.5 million from 3 leading venture capitalists & angel investors including: MLC50, Professor Eli Talmor, InterCapital, and David Wolfe, a London Business School alum who has been an investor and entrepreneur for over 25 years.

This is our second round of investment, with this funding we will expand into markets further afield, and increase the number of rooms and apartments available for short-term rental on our site. Most importantly, we will keep working to improve our platform which we re-launched just a few months back with new technology, new design, and new branding - FlatClub 2.0

Nitzan Yudan, founder of FlatClub located in TechHub, “This investment, coupled with the wealth of experience and guidance from our new investors, will help us extend this successful ‘model of trust’ into other cities around the world and more trusted networks and take FlatClub to new levels.”

We’re all so grateful for the support of our members, and all of your feedback. As a startup it is vital that we receive reactions from our hosts and guests.

We've also got another milestone to be proud of: 10,000 flats have been posted on our site, and we're going to use this funding to increase that even further!

We look forward to improving our service for you and sharing more good news in the coming year.

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Tips for Hosts, New and Old

We want to give you peace of mind whether you’re hosting for the 1st time, or the 100th time.
Why should you post your place on FlatClub? Not only will you meet interesting people and expand your network, you'll also make quite a lot of extra money out of your unused space!
See here as well for additional tips on making the most out of your flat, before your first booking.
So, after you've confirmed your first booking, you may be wondering what to do before your guest's arrival.That is why we have compiling a list, based on thousands of successful bookings, and other hosts’ top tips on how to prepare your flat for guests:

• Arrange your flat. It is suggested that you empty some drawers and cupboards so that your guest may use them, and leave some surfaces bare. This will allow your guest to put away some of their own things, making them feel more comfortable in your flat as well as ensuring that their items don’t get in your way. If you have personal belongings that you don’t want your guests to touch, let them know in advance and consider keeping those belongings outside of the flat or guest's room. Also make sure that your flat is looking tidy very clean, as this will encourage guests to leave it just the same.


• Leave instructions It’s a good idea to provide your guest with information on how to use certain amenities in your flat. This will not only improve your guests' experience in your flat but it will also give you peace of mind that all will go smoothly even when you're not there. For example, you might want to leave instructions for wifi access, the TV/DVD player, the telephone and the washer/dryer - these are the amenities most likely to be used by your guest. Also, remind guests to turn off any electrical goods before leaving the flat for the safety of your home and electricity bill.


• Provide a comfortable bed and clean, crisp linens. Making sure that your guest is given clean bed linens a decent quality mattress will not only make them feel welcome in your flat but will also allow them to gain a peaceful night’s sleep, undoubtedly improving their overall holiday experience. Although it isn't expected that you launder the linens while your guest stays in your flat, it is recommended that you launder them prior to their arrival.


• Leave some books, DVDs or magazines. Regardless of the time of year or the location of your flat, we’re sure that your guest will really appreciate being able to enjoy these items. A book is the perfect accompaniment to a drink in the sun, whilst films are a great way to spend a cosy evening in.


• Provide details of local attractions. Leaving your guest a few tips on your favourite local café, restaurant or pub, the best shopping area or popular nearby attractions will be a great way of introducing your guest to your area, helping them to make the most out of their holiday and your neighbourhood. Practical information such as the location of the grocery store or local transport links would also be useful.


• Fill the fridge. Providing your guest with a few necessities would be a lovely welcome to your guest on the first night. A few of the basics such as milk, bread, and fruit and maybe some exclusive local foods would allow your guest to settle quickly into your flat.
• Finishing touches. Finally, if you want to branch out and make your flat exceptionally attractive to your guest, you could always buy some fresh flowers to decorate your kitchen or living room. A box of chocolates or a bottle of wine would also be a welcoming gesture to your guest, ensuring that they enjoy their stay in your flat from day one.

As you can see becoming a host is fairly simple & rewarding,  and let's not forget that you can make lots of extra money. For more information on becoming a host email hosts@flat-club.com, or visit flat-club.com/hosts.

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3 Great Reviews from this Month

Our members have been receiving some great reviews lately, and we thought we’d share a few with you. If you’d like to get top reviews like these, read back through our blog & learn how to make the most of your place.

Alessia from Bocconi Club & University of Illinois Club as guest, Zone 1 Spacious 1 bed room flat with fantastic view as flat:
“Warm and comfortable, it was so nice to spend our nights cooking and watching DVDs after a whole day of tours. We absolutely recommend it for short stays! Jessica was really kind and always managed to meet us halfway to satisfy all our needs. Discreet and attentive she was always ready to get in contact with us as soon as needed.”

Danae as guest, Kavi from LBS Club as host:

“Danae is a lovely soft spoken and creative person. She was very neat and kept my home well during her stay. I'm really happy to have met her and wish her all the best for the future! Kavi”

Lisa from LBS Club as guest, Golden Triangle Chic as flat:

“The flat is in a fantastic location - one block from the Champs Elysees and about 10 minutes from the Seine. Wonderful shopping and restaurants nearby. The flat is beautiful. The furnishings are modern and the huge windows let it lots of wonderful light. We spent a lot of time on the terrace enjoying the sights and sounds of Paris. Overall, we had a great time. I would rent this flat again and again...”


If you want to be like one of these happy hosts & guests, you can post your place on FlatClub, or find a place to stay! Use our free Expert Search to find the perfect accommodation for you.

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5 New Features this Friday

We’re back with some more awesome updates to the site, the biggest one being the launch of our new Expert Search!

We’ll keep you updated on new flats as they go live, and match you based on exactly what you’re searching for.

So, If you’re looking for a place to stay and you want a little personal help all you have to do is fill out our short & sweet form, and we’ll get back to you ASAP with some great options.

That’s not all though, we have touched up a few more things around the site:

Map Zoom - On the search page, our maps now zoom in and out, making it even easier for you to stay exactly where you want and see your options in relation to the city.
Verification in Message Thread - When you’re writing messages back & forth, you can see the user’s verifications right there in the thread.
Multiple Picture Uploads - Now when you’re uploading photos of your flat, you’re able to upload multiple at one time!
Mobile Optimization - We’ve optimized for mobile, so it is now much easier to search for a flat on the go. Take a look at our site on your phone, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised

We’re constantly adding new features and optimizing things for our guests and for our hosts, and we have got quite a few in the pipeline but we’d love some suggestions on Twitter or through Facebook!

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