Room Club helps the over 5 million landlords and tenants in the UK to let, rent or manage any kind of shared accommodation, avoiding excessive fees and management hassles.
We provide a web application to manage properties with many unique features, directly connected with a marketplace where tenants can book their accommodation, assisted by our team of property experts.
2. ▷ Room Club helps the over 5 million landlords and tenants in the UK
to let, rent or manage any kind of shared accommodation,
avoiding excessive fees and management hassles.
▷ Room Club is fully owned by Sognando Ltd, which has been successfully trading
since 2009:
✓ Profitable since year of foundation
✓ £1.1m turnover in 2018
✓ +22.73% Year On Year growth
▷ Our plans are focused towards growing our EBITDA to over £2 million by 2022
and enlarging our presence and customer base, reaching a market share of 2%.
▷ To achieve this, we have devised a strategy that is comprised of
4 main elements:
✓ Development of a mobile app
✓ New functionalities and improvement of our platform
✓ Enhancement of our website
✓ Target-specific marketing
Funding details:
⇢ AMOUNT SOUGHT: £650,000+
⇢ EQUITY OFFERED: 23.63%
⇢ PRE-MONEY VAL.: £2,100,000
3. 3
The rise in shared accommodation
Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover
Parents and grandparents are likely to live for
much longer now, and the future generations
receive inheritances at a later stage in life.
Rising prices in rents and house deposits mean
that people have less opportunity to purchase
their own home or rent a place, exclusively or
with a partner.
The wage stagnation has definitely contributed
to the fact that less people nowadays can
afford to rent a property on their own.
House-sharing is an increasingly common, easy
and low-cost alternative for many people
today. More than ever before we are
witnessing a surge in the amount of landlords
and developers who purposely buy or build
properties with the intention of letting them
out to multiple tenants.
For most people, buying is not an option
https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/property-news/renting/how-the-cost-of-renting-a-room-varies-across-the-uk-a112471.html
https://blog.easyroommate.com/flat-sharing-impacted-uk-property-market/
THE DEMAND
University students from the UK 1,875,125
University students from abroad 442,375
Foreign professionals 3,220,000
Total market size (UK only) 5,537,500
THE OFFER
Places/rooms in shared properties 3,500,000
Bed spaces in student residencies 602,000
Co-living units 5,000
Total market size (UK only) 4,107,000
4. 4
Both sides have something to tell us
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it
Every year we see a rise in the demand for good,
affordable shared accommodation. This is a trend that we
would be foolish to ignore.
Need of shared solutions
There is a need for a well organised and reliable platform
where users can easily compare multiple offers and
decide what’s best for them.
Trustworthy platform
Finding the right place is not easy and can be very
time-consuming. Loads of adverts are expired, advertisers
do not respond, agencies are often sub-par.
Difficulty to find the right accommodation
No landlord has ever wanted to see their property empty.
Many, however, struggle with void periods, with
marketing and commissions taking a high stake on profits.
Need of high occupancy
There is a need for a performing, comprehensive platform
that will allow landlords and managers to save time,
achieve results and focus more on growing.
Efficient platform
Managing a property is no easy feat. Loads of different
aspects need to be considered, ranging from accountancy
to rent collection and many more.
Difficulty in property management
LANDLORDSTENANTS
5. What Room Club does
For over 10 years we have been analyzing the shared accommodation market,
finding some unresolved issues:
● keeping the available properties always up to date and manage them effectively
● a lack of marketing instruments and lead generators
● an excess of providers of a one-sided approach
We observed that the same findings were reached by OpenTable, the market leader in the dining and
restaurant sector. By creating a single brand that includes a web platform to attract diners, connected
to a table management software to help restaurants, OpenTable crafted an unique combination of
products and services that determined their success.
We are bringing the same approach to the flatsharing and the student accommodation sector.
We have created a hybrid model that unites:
An online marketplace and a team of professionals to help renters to find their ideal
accommodation.
Marketing tools and a team of property experts to help landlords and agents to rent their
properties quickly and at a low cost.
A web application for every side of the property management - RC Plus -
directly connected to the marketplace.
6. 6
Our unique features
Create your own style, let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.
One-click comparison tool
RC PlusRoomclub.com
As soon as a tenant decides to go or as soon
as there is a vacancy, the property is
automatically live and bookable.
Instant updates
A widget to add the booking system to any
website whilst keeping the original graphics,
to reach millions of additional leads.
White-label integration
Landlords can upload their templates to be
filled automatically in seconds - no need for
extensive and unnecessary typing.
Automated drafting of contracts
Users can instantly compare their favourite
properties to find out different conditions,
prices, convenience, etc.
A team of Property Experts available to
help searching, negotiating conditions and
securing the perfect property.
Room Finder service
Users can easily see all the properties
available for instant booking, like on Airbnb,
and reserve one in seconds.
Instant booking
All the relevant information is assembled
instantly and automatically, for a quicker
publication of the listings.
Automated advert composer
Any additional service can be added to the
booking in order to personalise the offers
through tailored packages.
Customized packages creation
Any Company can be in control of different
profiles, from intern to manager, setting up
authorisations and limitations for each
user.
Multiple users profiles
Landlords or agents can create and send
automated emails to tenants or partners for
reminders, information, or other purposes.
Automatic emails
Main interface, pages and functionalities
available in 4 different languages: English,
Spanish, French and Italian.
Multi-language feature
Landlords can rely on our team of Property
Experts to find the right tenant for their
available solutions (currently in London only)
Tenant Finder service
7. 7
Achievements
Footprints are not made by sitting down
2018 saw an impressive growth in some of our crucial KPIs. Thanks to
a strategical new marketing approach, leads (and subsequently
bookings) registered a steady raise, which allowed to us create the
bases for our future and the roots to upscale our model.
Our growth in numbers
20,572
Units to rent between
RC Plus and Roomclub.com
… from only 28 when we started!
We have been working tirelessly to add HMO
properties, serviced apartments and student
accommodation each and every year, with over
17,000 added in 2018 alone.
Solutions to rent: +504%
Customers: +82%Leads: +124%
2017
2018
19,246
1,005
3,420
42,960
1,826
20,630
Leads Customers Units to rent
8. 96%All the properties using Room Club Plus achieved this above-standard occupancy rate in 2018, thanks
to the hundreds of reservations made with our TENANT FINDER SERVICE.
Our system and our forward-thinking strategy bring a fresh approach to the industry:
● Landlords give us their properties to upload
● Our agents market all the vacant solutions
● Thanks to the thousands of leads we generate, bookings start flowing in and vacancies are quickly filled
● Landlords pay us a commission for every booking
The majority of the reservations are made online, using the INSTANT BOOKING SYSTEM which is updated
in real-time, automatically, and is available in 4 languages for maximum exposure and reach.
1,172 1,826 £3,782,512 1,248 2,438
Units currently
managed with
RC Plus
Customers in
2018 alone
Reconciled rent on the
platform in 2018 -
£800k of which through
Sognando alone
Checkouts
automatically
managed by
RC Plus in 2018
Contracts drafted
and signed with
RC Plus in 2018
9. 9
Our timeline
Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step
2019
2009:
Foundation
A small office with just an
idea: this was the birth of
Sognando - which is
Italian for “Dreaming”.
2011:
Our first milestone
First £ 1,000,000 of
rent processed
through our platform in
just under 2 years.
2013:
First improvements
The latest update
brings MOBILE
features and a better
User Interface.
2015:
Team expansion
Our core team is
formed. We are ready
to develop and expand
on other projects!
2017:
Room Club is born
The development of a
new software brings
the creation of the
brand: Room Club!
2018:
12,000 customers
We are ready to write our
future, aiming for the next
step: the first round of
investments begins
10. 10
Main competitors - a brief analysis
There are several companies that operate in the accommodation market, however none of them combines
marketing with a management software. This unique mix gives us a huge advantage in the long term, because landlords/companies will be
using our platform for both functionalities, generating recurring revenue for a longer time and saving a lot on costs.
Type
Marketing &
Management
Marketing Marketing Management Management
Instant booking
Real-time availabilities
Only if manually
uploaded every day
Rent management
Tenant manager platform
Period of stay/tenancy No restrictions No restrictions Fixed-term only No restrictions No restrictions
Customer support
For Landlords and
Tenants
Almost NO
support
For Landlords and
Tenants
Only for Landlords Only for Landlords
Company valuation £2.1 m Over £12 m Over £90 m Unknown Over £70 m
11. 11
Our CEO
A leader is someone who demonstrates what’s possible
CEO
Room Club has its roots in Sognando Ltd, a
Company that was conceived and brought
forward by Samuele, the CEO and main
technical advisor. After graduating in
Business and Tourism in Italy, Samuele has
worked for several companies, including
CSC/DXC, developing software solutions for
the banking and insurance industry. Having
moved to London at the age of 25 with the
belief that softwares must make lives better,
he started his own property management
business and a network of websites with
great success. He is happily married and has
a 3-year-old son.
Samuele Scodeggio
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Management 90%
Creativity 80%
Administration 80%
Policy Making
Web Knowledge 95%
SEO Marketing 90%
75%
12. 12
Meet the crew
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together
Chief Operating Officer
Valentino Ferro
With a strong experience in sales,
business development and a
background in business psychology, Val
has been with Room Club since 2015
Web Project Manager
Francesco Ghiselli
The latest addition to the team,
Francesco brought with him his
experience, competence,
reliability and a great deal of fun
Board Advisor
Wilco Dado
Sales Manager
Tommaso Miotto
One of the longest-serving
employees, Tom’s drive to
succeed and improve
performances is second to none
BA
Sognando Ltd has a total of 6 full-time employees, 1 Board Advisor and
4 commission-based staff
COO WPM SM
Prior to setting up his own consultancy
firm, Wilco has been Managing Director
at JP Morgan and RBS, working in
London, Amsterdam and Milan
13. 13
Room Club on the Web and Social Media
UPDATED OCT 2018
MONTHLY VISITS 41,569
FACEBOOK 14,700
INSTAGRAM 2,100
MAILING LIST 14,890
Website and Social Media
REGISTERED USERS + 459
AGENTS + 151
NUMBER OF ADS + 1,524
NUMBER OF LEADS + 10,740
ROOMS LET + 377
Last 3 months
Since our inception, we have been using the web as our first and main marketing channel. We saw the potential of social
media growing throughout the years, and we have built a network able to generate and attract thousands of leads every
month.
The results received in the last few months are remarkable, considering that we have just started advertising the platform
on a larger scale.
Our platform does not require users to register in order to contact advertisers. We will switch to this option after the
monthly visitors will exceed 75k per month.
14. 14
SOGNANDO LTD - ROOM CLUB - FINANCIALS
Complete financials are available upon request. Contact valentino@roomclub.com for more info. Details on this page have been Updated on 20/11/2018
Financials are related to the new web application’s revenue stream alone.
In the last 6 years Sognando Ltd has invested a considerable amount in personnel and innovation in order to bring the Room
Club Plus application at its current level of development. The company has also retained earnings of approx. £50,000 that will
also be invested in the project. No loans of any kind exist. Sognando Ltd has been profitable since day 1, despite the huge
investments in technology.
2017
Historic
2018
Provisional
2019
Forecast
2020
Forecast
2021
Forecast
2022
Forecast
Revenue £ 182,400 £ 361,322 £ 776,000 £1,404,000 £ 2,770,000 £ 5,539,000
Growth - 98.10% 114.76% 80.93% 97.29% 99.96%
Direct Costs £ 53,820 £ 102,780 £ 200,300 £ 331,250 £ 570,000 £ 939,000
Operational
Costs
£ 102,785 £ 230,659 £ 835,000 £ 1,090,000 £ 1,540,000 £ 2,460,000
EBITDA £ 25,795 £ 27,883 - £ 259,300 - £17,250 £ 660,000 £2,140,000
15. 15
Room Club’s revenue trolley
The main cash-flow generators, current and future
RC Plus - web application
Installation, recurring fees, additional
features, integrations and support.
Tenant Finder Service
Commissions on bookings, student houses
reservations, partnerships with landlords.
Adverts and subscriptions
Publishing of ads on the website, recurring
subscription fees, featured ads.
Ancillary
Photo shoots, Energy Performance
Certificates, floor plans, gas certificates,
HMO licence consultancy.
16. 16
Room Club PLUS 3.0
Where the magic happens
SUPPORT
Standard Support: included
***
Training sessions:
from £500+VAT
EXTENSIONS
Processing rent: 1-4%+VAT
***
Docusign:
from £50+VAT/month
MONTHLY PLANS
A simple monthly plan
***
£20+VAT/month per
managed unit
INSTALLATION
Cloud server: free
***
Own server: from
£500+VAT
Our application has been developed over the last 9 years using all the experience from our founder and our
amazing team. A great product generates great revenues: let's see how it works:
The application will be available for landlords, agencies and student accommodation providers. Version 2.0 is already used to
manage over 1,100 units, and v 3.0 will be an even easier to use platform - Airbnb-style - with the integration of advanced
extensions. We have had early discussions with some major players in the industry who expressed a need for this kind of
solution for their +10,000-unit portfolios, and we are extremely keen to have them on board for our expansion.
17. 17
Tenant Finder Service
We are always happy to help
Since the day of our foundation, many accommodation providers
in London have trusted us to find the right tenants for their
properties. We have been working side by side with them to
ensure a good flow of information and a great service towards
them and the customers. We are currently targeting the student
accommodation market using the same parameters and we are
ready to replicate and upscale this model to the rest of the UK.
Here is what a typical commission-based agreement looks like:
20 % commission on the total £ worth of the stay
(capped at 1-week equivalent)
More than 1,800 customers per year (and growing) in
London only
Average revenue per customer: £180
18. 18
Adverts and Subscriptions
Room Club enables customers to publish 3 ads for free on the platform, with no limitations.
Spareroom, one of the competitors, offers 1 free ad per account with several limitations - the main one
being that at least one party (landlord or tenant) must pay a subscription to communicate with the other.
Not only is Room Club cheaper, but we also offer our unique FACEBOOK auto-post feature in order to
achieve higher visibility.
19. 19
Investments - where the funds will go
Money well spent is money well earned
App development
The development of a
user-friendly and effective
app for iOS and Android will
attract 3x more users to the
platform, expanding our
reach to the ever-increasing
mobile market.
30%
Room Club PLUS
Adding extensions and
services will make the
product marketable to
virtually everyone in the
industry, with particular focus
on large players such as
PBSA, HMOs, etc.
35%15%
Website
Adding an instant messaging
system, better functionalities
(integrations) and more
properties will make the
website even better. This will
result in more traffic, more
subscriptions, more revenue.
Marketing
Increase our market presence
in the 9 UK cities where we
have identified a high potential
growth: Manchester,
Liverpool, Bristol. Birmingham.
Newcastle, Sheffield, Cardiff,
Glasgow and Edinburgh.
20%
20. 20
How to get it right
We like to keep our feet on the ground, but possibilities are flying high
Whilst the traditional rental market is already saturated with big players such
as Rightmove and Zoopla holding a stable leadership, there isn’t a clear and
affirmed leader in the flat sharing and student accommodation sector.
This has prompted us to create an instantly recognizable brand, which we
gradually developed into a steady cash-flow generator, with several millions’
worth of revenue over the past years.
Which such an advantage in the market and a strong proprietary technology,
we have found the right strategy to scale up our proposition and achieve
nationwide success.
Reports by some of the most prominent Companies show that the student
accommodation and the flatsharing markets are booming and there is an
insufficient number of solutions to satisfy the huge demand. This is the reason
why investors are piling up and rushing into building student residencies and
sites, with hundreds of millions spent every year. However, the vast majority of
these Companies do not have the necessary tools to maximise their
investments, manage their buildings nor market their properties.
This is how we know that there is no better time to be launching our
redesigned platforms. We aim to facilitate the rental market for landlords and
tenants alike, just as OpenTable has done for restaurants and diners.
21. 21
Market scalability
Where we are going and what our minds are set upon
potential users of the Room Club platform.
7.5m
Potential market for Room Club
people are living in a rented
property (shared and not).
This is a huge market with a
lot of private Landlords and
Companies who could be
Our aim is to achieve 2.00% of the market
share within 3 years. However we will
already be profitable when reaching 0.05%
- only 3,750 properties in our book in order
to generate profit.
2.00% of the market
26m
Properties in the UK
Privately owned or rented
Owner occupied 70.0%
Rented 29.0%
Empty 1.0%
Sources:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/
http://news.bbc.co.uk
22. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
We are placing ourselves at the forefront of one of the most
profitable industries in the UK.
Help us lead the way.
For investment opportunities:
valentino@roomclub.com
61 Banner Street, London EC1Y 8PX
07578 919 660
valentino@roomclub.com
Contact us:
facebook.com/roomclub.group
@roomclublondon
roomclub.group
Follow us on:
23. 23
Investment Disclaimer
The small print, which is not that small after all
Room Club™ is a trademark registered by the
company Room Club Ltd. Room Club Ltd is 100%
owned by Sognando ltd. The capital will be raised
by Sognando Ltd.
Certain statements contained in this document
constitute anticipations and future-looking
prospects or financial projections. Terms and words
such as may, would, could, intend, plan, believe,
estimate, expect, and similar expressions in
reference to the Company are intended to identify
the aforementioned projections and
forward-looking statements.
Many factors could determine the Company’s actual
results and achievements, which may vary from the
ones depicted in this document. As much as we
wouldn’t like to, and despite the undivided effort we
will all put into this, it is important to note that
should one of more adverse circumstances arise,
The value of our Company can go up as well as
down, therefore if you invest you might not get your
money back. Past performance is not a confirmation
statement for future performances.
Before making a decision, think about whether
investing in our Company is right for you.
Remember to never invest more than you are
prepared to lose and that many businesses at this
stage end up failing or breaking even, rather than
succeeding and being profitable.
Remember that investing in this kind of project does
not give you access to any dividends.
The majority of the equity is owned by our founders
and staff, therefore they can vote decisions through
even if other investors disagree with them.
If you are in doubt as to the actions you should take,
do not hesitate to consult an independent financial
adviser authorised under FSMA.
or should risks and uncertainties materialise, the
actual results and performances may vary
substantially from those described in this
document.
The assumptions and financial projections in this
document are based on our Company’s previous
performances, our expectations and our intentions
for the future. This of course brings some intrinsic
risk factors that you, as an investor, should always
take into account when investing your money.
We all can guarantee that no effort will be spared
and no stones will be left unturned in order to
achieve what we aim to. We also wish that this
guarantee could be enough to give you a 100%
certainty for the future, but we would also like to be
as realistic as possible. Not because it is a legal duty,
but because we have been uncompromisingly
ethical and respectful to all our partners, employees
and friends throughout the whole course of our
history. This is certainly not changing now.