The Challenge
Finding a roommate usually happens through generic classifieds and chat groups. Listings lack structure, there is no clear way to tell an offered room from a request for one, and nothing helps two people judge whether they would actually live well together.
The startup needed a dedicated marketplace where both sides, those who have a room and those who are looking for one, could publish clear listings, find each other by location and talk directly, in Arabic and English.
Our Solution
We built a web platform on Laravel and Livewire where every user can either offer a room or search for one, with separate create and edit flows for each case. Listings carry the details that matter for shared living: rent and rent type, number of rooms, housing type, furnished status, bathroom type, parking, available-from date and a selectable list of facilities.
Location is handled through cities and zones, and owners pin the exact spot of their listing on a Leaflet and OpenStreetMap map. Profiles with a bio and interests give seekers and owners a sense of lifestyle fit before they get in touch, and in-app message threads keep the conversation on the platform.
- Room-offer and room-request listings with separate create and edit flows
- Cities, zones and map pinning of listing locations
- Favourites and a "my ads" area for managing published listings
- User profiles with bio and interests, plus user search
- In-app messaging threads and Google login
- Filament admin panel with role-based access through Shield, plus CMS pages and FAQ management
The Results
- Two-sided marketplace: room owners and room seekers each have their own listing flow on one platform.
- Structured listings: rent, housing type, furnishing, bathroom, parking, facilities and availability date are captured in a consistent format.
- Map-based discovery: listings are organised by city and zone and pinned on an interactive map.
- Direct contact: profiles, user search and in-app messaging let people get to know each other without leaving the platform.
- Full Arabic/English parity: the interface switches between both languages with the correct RTL or LTR layout.
- Maintained over time: the codebase is kept current with framework security upgrades, including a Livewire security upgrade in 2026.
