Facebook Rental Search Product: Renter Pain Points, Trust and a First Version

Suppose Facebook decided to build a product that helps people find a home to rent. As the product manager, describe what it would look like: whom it serves, which problems it solves, what the first version includes, and how you would know it is working. ```hint What can Facebook add? Dedicated listing websites already exist. Ask what Facebook's real identities, communities and messaging could add to a rental search, which renters need that most, and what a renter risks when it is missing. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Which market should the product start in: one country, dense cities with competitive rentals, or smaller towns? - Is the scope long-term apartment and house rentals only, or also rooms, sublets and short stays? - Should the product build on Marketplace and Groups, where people already post about housing, or start as something new? - What is the goal: engagement on Facebook, a new revenue line such as listing fees or ads, or helping a specific group such as students or people relocating? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal tied to Meta's mission and business, and a reason Facebook can win in a market already served by dedicated listing sites. - Both sides of the market (renters, small landlords, property managers, roommates and subletters) with a reasoned choice of whom to prioritize. - Concrete pain points along the rental journey (finding listings, judging trust and fit, contacting and viewing, applying) and solutions that use Facebook's identity, social graph or messaging. - Trust and safety as a core part of the design: scams, fake listings, housing discrimination rules and privacy. - A first version with a north-star metric, input metrics and guardrails, plus risks and a path beyond the first version. ### Follow-up Questions - Listings grow quickly after launch, but so do renter reports of scams. What do you change first? - How would you design search, filters and listing rules so the product does not enable housing discrimination? - How would you launch in a city where few landlords post on Facebook today?