Case Study · UX/UI & Product Design
Bridging the gap between excluded tenants and risk-averse owners through trust-based design
Status
Trust & Transparency
Context & Challenge
The Context:
Madrid's Rental Paradox
Madrid is booming, yet the rental market is constrained. Outdated filters like permanent contracts fail to recognise modern realities. This locks out solvent tenants and leaves Hosts with a limited, homogenised pool of candidates.
The Challenge:
The Paperwork Wall
Freelancers and expats face closed doors. We found 70% of solvent applicants are blocked simply for lacking a standard payslip. Hosts are trapped too as they rely on rigid paperwork to mitigate risk rather than verifying actual trust.
The Objective:
Designing for Trust
We aimed to replace bureaucratic gates with transparent "trust signals". By validating reliability through alternative data, we empower hosts to rent confidently and give tenants the dignity of being seen for more than a job title.
Finding the Shared Value
The Tenant
Needs eligibility without a permanent contract.
The Landlord
Needs reliable tenants, not just paper candidates.
The Difference
Validating reliability, not just salary.
Design Solutions
01
Verification
Fairer Screening
Replaced rigid salary requirements with alternative proofs (bank statements, invoices) to unlock housing for the gig economy.
Alternative Data
Fair Access
A service blueprint mapping the conditional backend logic that adapts verification requirements to the user's status (e.g., accepting invoices for freelancers), ensuring inclusivity is hard-coded into the system.
02
Trust
Humanizing the Transaction
Video intros and verified badges build trust before the viewing, reducing fear of scams.
Video Profiles
Verified Badges
Built for trust
Impact & Project Reflections
Q1 2026
MVP release
10.000
Projection of listings 1st year
50,000
Growth goal 2027
In a market paralyzed by bureaucracy, trust is the only way to unlock liquidity. By shifting the verification model from 'rigid contracts' to 'reputation signals,' we turned a risk-management problem into a human connection opportunity, unlocking the market for thousands of excluded tenants.
Witty Wolf Design
Amsterdam
Madrid