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In April, Colleluori created a spreadsheet where people could post information about apartments they were planning to move out of and see other soon-to-be-available units. He posted aColleluori — who previously built an Airbnb-stylegeared toward "van life" nomads seeking parking spots, showers and WiFi — said he was inspired to create the spreadsheet after standing on a long line to see an apartment in Manhattan.
“Great apartments are passed down anyway, and we’re just giving a platform to streamline it," he said. A current map of listings shows dozens of apartments throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and western Queens, with a handful in the Bronx and one as far north as Mount Vernon.Medium postTenants’ rights attorney Leah Goodridge, a member of the city's planning commission who often writes about housing policy and trends, said the crowdsourced apartment listings highlight the vicious competition and various fees that can prevent people from finding a home in the five boroughs.
Ridgewood native Eric Li also decided to start a peer-to-peer project to help cut out middlemen in the rental process. But he came with a different perspective from Colleluori's.