Creative Caravan – House swapping & letting for professionals in the creative industry

Launched earlier this month, Creative Caravan http://www.creativecaravan.net is a property listing service for people working in the creative industries, devised to help film directors, make-up artists, painters, photographers, etc find a place to (sub)let or swap.

The Australian service aims to make it easier for people who are constantly on the move find short-let properties at short notice, anywhere from Northamptonshire in the UK to Sydney in Australia. How it works? Registration is free for anyone wishing to browse or list a housing ad. Creative Caravan’s founder decided to make the service entirely free of charge.

Besides access to a property owner’s contact details, membership also includes an RSS feed of suitable properties. Creative Caravan vets each member to ensure they are in fact a creative professional. However, as it is too resource-intensive to check every property, pictures and communication between members is greatly encouraged.

Will the niche service be able to compete with established behemoths like Craigslist? Creative Caravan feels there’s a degree of trust in sub-letting to someone from the same industry, making both parties feel more comfortable with having a stranger inhabit their home. Network-building and a shared focus on aesthetics could be added benefits. One to set up for other groups or categories?

Website: http://www.creativecaravan.net

Contact: http://www.creativecaravan.net/contact