From left: University of Ottawa students Rime Nasser Eddine, Aidan Fitzmaurice and Sophia Dang came up with the idea for Next Room.Mirabelle Jien/Supplied
The organizer: Aidan Fitzmaurice
The pitch: Launching Next Room
The cause: To help students find accommodation
Like a lot of postsecondary students, Aidan Fitzmaurice struggled to find a place to live when he left home in Muskoka, Ont., to attend the University of Ottawa.
He wrestled with roommates, had little experience with leases and felt vulnerable to scams. “I felt very overwhelmed because I didn’t really know what to do,” he said from the school where he is in his third year studying political science and business. “I heard all these stories of students getting scammed and exploited, and it definitely happens.”
Last year, he and a group of students looked for a solution and they came up with Next Room, an app that connects students with each other and suitable accommodation. The app helps students find roommates based on answered prompts and includes virtual tours of flats. “They can go into a potential lease with the best situation, because we’ve already determined compatibility, but also they’re able to communicate with one another,” he said.
The site also helps landlords by making it easier for them to lease space to two or more students. And it gathers information to help landlords determine the right rent to meet student demand. “It’s really about building like a housing platform with what students need in mind, but then also the market itself,” added Mr. Fitzmaurice.
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The service, which will be rolled out in full this fall, is free for students and so far 1,300 have signed up.
Last month, Mr. Fitzmaurice participated in the Sprint Against Student Homelessness a fundraising event in Ottawa that drew attention to the need for affordable student housing. Participating teams raced to complete a range of tasks such as shopping for food on a tight budget and answering questions about homelessness. Around 30 students took part and the event raised around $500 for the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa, which provides a range of services to young people.
Mr. Fitzmaurice, who is 19 and also has a part-time job, said launching Next Room has been “a journey” and he’s hoping to take it across Canada one day. “My goal with Next Room is to leave university having built something that has helped a lot of students, but also something that I can scale.”