Lydia Winkler
Co-creator, RentCheck
There is no shortage of new apps flowing into the market, but one in particular stands out from the crowd.
RentCheck, an app designed to simplify and clarify the residential rental process, took home more than $100,000 in winnings from business competitions in the past year, including the top prize and $50,000 at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, as well as the $35,000 top prize at the 19th annual Tulane Business Model Competition. The app is the creation of Lydia Winkler, a graduate of Tulane Law School, and Marco Nelson, a Tulane MBA student, who met during orientation at Tulane’s business school.
When they met, Nelson was an app developer and a landlord looking to create a product and Winkler was in the process of suing her landlord for her security deposit. After extensive market research in which they found 45 percent of renters experience disputes with their landlord, they created an app that launched in April 2018.
RentCheck provides a guided walk-through of a move-in inspection, including the ability to take time-stamped photos. It is currently in use in 40 states and seven countries and available free of charge to anyone with a smart phone. Winkler says so far 60 percent of the app’s downloads are landlords and property owners.
“We’re in the process now of building and scaling the company in New Orleans,” she says. “Right now we’re really focused on honing in on our exact market and getting the app in the hands of as many tenants and landlords as possible.”