Why we built
Merriday.

We're two students at Columbia, and we built Merriday after a whole summer of looking for a sublet and hating every way there was to find one.

Anyone who's done it knows the two options. There's the open market, the Facebook groups and Reddit threads and Instagram accounts, full of real places you have no way to trust and scams that look exactly the same. And there's the polished version, where someone finally organized it and then charged you at every turn for the privilege. Neither was built for two students who couldn't spare the money or the guesswork, so we made the one that is.

The whole point is that nothing is hidden and nothing is rushed. Hosts and renters both verify with a real government ID, so you actually know who you're talking to before any of it gets serious. You do the whole thing in one place and at your own pace, the messaging, the tour, the lease, the payment, and no one drops you into a video call the second you sign up. If you'd rather not go hunting at all, you can post what you're after and let the listings come to you. When it's time for money, your first month sits safe until you've moved in and seen the place is what you booked, your deposit is looked after and returned when you leave, and every fee is on the screen long before you agree to it. Listing and looking cost nothing, and we don't make a cent until you've found somewhere to call your own.