How it works

Every year, 10,000+ LA tenants are displaced by THP renovations. Landlords overspend on hotels, while other landlords lose money on empty apartments. Swing Unit Marketplace connects the two — handling compliance, payments, and paperwork — and takes a 20% cut. It’s a win for landlords, a win for tenants, and a win for the city.

The Problem

Los Angeles has 624,000+ rent-stabilized units (RSO).
Each year, 7,000–14,000 tenants must be temporarily relocated under the City’s Tenant Habitability Program (THP) during major repairs like seismic retrofitting, plumbing, asbestos abatement, or rewiring.

• Hotels or cash stipends → costing $9,000–$20,000 per tenant.
• Tenants frustrated by cramped, impersonal hotel stays.
• Vacant apartments sitting idle, earning $0.

The gap: There’s no structured, compliant way to connect landlords who need swing housing with landlords who have vacant units.

Our Solution

We created the Swing Unit Marketplace — the first platform designed specifically to handle THP relocations.

Here’s what it does:

• Matches demand: landlords who must relocate tenants.
• With supply: landlords who have vacant units nearby.
• Adds compliance tools: standardized THP paperwork, payments.
• Streamlines escrow-style landlord-to-landlord transactions (20% marketplace fee).

Everyone wins:

• Relocating landlords save money.
• Vacant-unit landlords earn new revenue.
• Tenants get real apartments instead of hotels.

Key Benefits

• Searchable Inventory → Find vacant units by size, term, or location.
• Compliance Layer → Built-in revocable license agreements (not leases) to avoid new tenancy.
• Payments & Fees → Secure transfers, landlord to landlord.
• Insurance Options → Damage + liability coverage for swing stays.
• THP Compliance → Auto-generated docs for LAHD approval.
• Tenant Portal → Easy check-in/check-out instructions, relocation details.

Who Uses It

• Landlords & Managers → Needing swing housing to stay compliant.
• Vacant-Unit Owners → Looking to monetize idle apartments.

The Model

• 20% Transaction Fee → Example: $2,300/mo × 3 months = $6,900 rent → $1,380 fee.
• Premium Services.
• Minimize Risk.
• Compliance concierge (THP filings).

The Impact

• 7k–14k relocations/year.
• Average THP stay generates $6,900 gross rent.
• Saving Landlords $100M annually.

Why It Works

• Compliance First → Standardized, regulator-approved paperwork.
• Network Effects → More units listed = easier for everyone.
• Aligned Incentives → Landlords save, landlords earn, tenants benefit.
• Regulatory Moat → Built specifically for THP requirements.