By Cecille Weldon, Sustainability Advisor and Board Member Proptech Association of Australia is a non-voting member in the Residential Energy Efficiency Disclosure Initiative (REEDI) Governance Forum. This gives us a seat at the table where the big decisions are being made … the development of a National Framework for disclosing the Energy Efficiency of new and existing Residential Property Background The Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings, is a national plan agreed by all E

Award-winning Australian proptech Downsizer has partnered with India’s Tata Consultancy Services to accelerate technical development of its unique SaaS platform and support global growth at scale. The partnership is expected to see Downsizer leverage the TCS Co-Innovation NetworkTM (COINTM) to consolidate its position at the intersections of fintech, proptech and insurtech. The existing Downsizer SaaS platform offers a real-time sales dashboard to property developers. It also

Reapit, backed by technology-focused private equity firm Accel-KKR, has announced the acquisition of Inspect Real Estate (IRE), a provider of digital solutions for property professionals. The move bolsters Reapit’s suite of products and supports its global mergers and acquisitions strategy to integrate and deliver innovative products and services for residential estate agencies of all sizes worldwide. IRE has a broad portfolio of solutions in ANZ – including IRE One, TenantAp

Sydney and Madrid-based digital property investment platform PropHero has appointed Sophie Hayek to the newly created role of CEO Australia. The move has been designed to allow the award-winning proptech to continue its strong local growth while accelerating its global expansion plans. Delivering property investors a simple, transparent and feature-rich digital experience, PropHero helps clients invest in residential real estate in Australia and Spain. With Ms Hayek now runni

PlanRadar has been appointed key software vendor for engineering inspections and reports on Tasmania’s largest transport infrastructure project. The $786 million project to connect Bridgewater and Granton with a 1km bridge across the Derwent River, will replace an existing 75-year-old lift-span bridge. Major construction began last year with completion estimated in 2024. The new bridge will cut travel times for the 22,000 people who currently use the route each day, while als

Sydney-based startup Downsizer has raised $3.75 million seed capital to accelerate the growth of its SaaS platform operating at the intersections of fintech, proptech and insurtech. The round was led by Correlation Australia Holdings (CAH) – which made a significant strategic investment – and was followed by existing shareholders, including family offices and high-net-worth individuals. CAH is affiliated with Lombard insurance group (LIG) and focuses on building profitable in

Sydney proptech Coposit has cracked the deposit-saving barrier with its pilot project after buyers used the platform to secure apartments in the new $56 million The George project by Civic Properties. The platform delivered the overwhelming majority of sales for The George, with 78% of buyers electing to purchase using the Coposit process, rather than a traditional 10% deposit upfront. Some 70% of The George Coposit users were first-home buyers who combined the platform with

Proptech Rental Heroes has worked with independently owned real estate agency, Little Real Estate, to implement AI technology called “Alex” across their 12 offices. Rental Heroes co-founder Ben Burton said Little Real Estate was committed to investing in tools that improved outcomes. “Little Real Estate understands the importance of tech-led solutions to ease the administrative burden on internal staff and improve the level of service provided to landlords and tenants,” Mr

Australian integrated property developer Aqualand has set a new benchmark in property marketing thanks to its collaboration with proptech DisplaySweet. The showroom in Aqualand’s latest project, the $1 billion mixed-use development AURA in North Sydney, features a number of Australian-first software solutions. DisplaySweet’s technology allows buyers to have a fully immersive experience using elements such as a 36sqm DS-Immersion Room with floor-to-ceiling projections. Cinemat

Families will be able to buy a home in Queensland with a deposit of just $10,000 thanks to a new partnership between property-buying platform Coposit and builder Catapult Homes. Catapult is the first to offer a house-and-land package in the state using the Australian proptech which is disrupting the off-the-plan property industry. Coposit CEO Chris Ferris said that being able to offer Queensland property buyers house and land for as little as a $10,000 deposit was “quite the

Sharehouse iOS app is now available in the app store. Sharehouse, an Australian proptech platform to help find flatmates, has launched a dedicated iOS app, bringing all the functionality of the website right into mobile format.  The iOS app offers an intuitive, user-friendly interface with all of the Sharehouse website functionality, allowing users to effortlessly search for flatmates, connect with potential matches, and manage their listings on the go. The app is now live.  

Facilio , an AI-driven SaaS property operations platform provider with a global customer base, announced its expansion into the ANZ region in response to high demand for its smart building solutions. The company’s ANZ operations will be led by Facilio’s new Regional Director Mickael Dominguez. Before joining Facilio, Mickael was a Director at Deloitte Digital where he was leading the firm’s Digital Real Estate practice. Mickael has over a decade of experience developing and e

Sensor Global – a start-up specialising in residential “internet of things” (IoT) technology – has successfully closed its seed funding round with $2.65 million.  A who’s-who of well-known property business investors including Shane Oswin, David Lynas and David Welsh supported the seed round together with Causeway Equities LLC and Second Century Ventures, the VC arm of the National Association of Realtors in the USA, through its REACH Australia accelerator.  The startup is he

Homely Group has announced its 2023 financial year top-line results, reporting a 20.5% increase in annual revenue.  Other significant FY23 highlights include a 29.3% rise in direct enquiries on property listings, 51.2% jump in indirect enquiries and a 39.2% increase in engaged consumer subscribers across all platforms. Co-founder and co-CEO Jason Spencer said that while the real estate industry had continued to grapple with uncertainties, Homely had once again proven its abil

Real estate marketplace Homely.com.au and home-sharing platform The Room Xchange have announced a strategic partnership designed to help people secure more affordable housing. In their complementary areas of expertise, both Homely.com.au and The Room Xchange have developed industry-leading solutions that are both innovative and cost-effective.  Homely Group recently announced a 20.5% increase in annual revenue based on its 2023 financial year topline results, while The Room

PEXA Group Limited has acquired a 100% stake in Australian environmental risk data analytics company, Land Insight. The acquisition comes at a time when governments and industry require important benchmarks to solve issues such as increased housing supply and the impact of climate change. Land Insight is a Sydney-based start-up that quantifies and evaluates natural hazards, pollution and ground hazards, helping governments and organisations such as banks and financial institu

Young businessman siting in front of computer monitor and analyzing online financial statistics Australian data consultancy Data Army has launched a specialised industry educational hub, The Proptech Cloud, as it strives to foster a data-driven community and empower businesses working with proptech data. Its aim is to share industry knowledge and expertise to improve problem solving, enhance collaboration and support the community to develop innovative solutions to complex pr

Altus Group Limited has signed a definitive agreement to acquire APAC commercial real estate valuation software provider, Forbury Property Valuation Solutions Limited. The deal marks a significant investment for Altus into both the Australia-New Zealand market and the wider Asia Pacific region. Headquartered in New Zealand, Forbury provides tailored valuation tools for the APAC market, especially Australia. Altus is a leading provider of CRE asset and fund intelligence and Fo

Former PEXA C-suite executive John Zak has joined proptech scaleup LARKI to help fix planning bottlenecks using digital collaboration. LARKI, which is focused on 3D and AI technology for architectural design and planning permit assessments, appointed Mr Zak to the newly created role of chief business development officer. He will also serve as an executive director on LARKI’s board. Company founder and CEO Simon Cookes said that Mr Zak had spent more than 30 years working in I