Occubuy helps Australian renters turn their regular rent payments into valuable points that build up their home deposit. Instead of your rent just being an expense, with Occubuy, it actively contributes to your dream of owning a home. It's free to join, and you can earn points just by paying your rent on time. These points then help you increase your deposit when you're ready to buy a property.
Thanks for your comment. If you sign up today you can back date your rent and earn points (up to 365 days). This is our first post on OzBargain. More Bargains coming soon!
How do you make money? Hard to trust any product, especially with bank details, with an unclear profit motive
They jack the house prices in "their network of properties" by 50k and sell your data in the meantime.
That’s not how we work. Our business is built on giving the power back to buyers.
Here’s what that means:
Prices aren't inflated. We just give you a new way to pay the deposit with your points. The redemption value for those points is set by the seller and shown to you with 100% transparency in the app.
Your data is never sold. We only use it to verify your rent payments so you get rewarded and suggest opportunities to save.
It’s about giving you the clarity and leverage you need to own your home.
"we are able to disclose your information to our partners for the purposes of our partners providing you the Services, and that we may receive a benefit from this referral;" Link
Partner is just another word for customer…..sounds like the business model is selling our data.
Our platform is free for you. You use Open Banking (CDR) to securely prove your on time rent history. We use that proof to help you navigate and compare pathways to a home. If you choose one of our partners, they pay us a fee for the introduction. It keeps us focused on finding you options.
Gross.
smells scammy
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s……
Duck season!
Agreed. Wouldn't touch this with a 10k foot pole
This feels predatory given you can only buy houses they have on their books.
That's a fair concern, so let's be clear. You have two simple paths with us:
Find Any Home: You search the open market and bring us any property you like. We'll vet it to make sure you're getting a fair deal.
Choose a Fast-Track Home: You pick from our partner network where the sellers already understand our system, making the process even smoother.
You are never trapped. Our job is to give you more ways to buy, not fewer.
So there's no deposit discount on a home that isn't in your partner network?
There is still a redemption value but it is generally lower.
@Occubuy: How much cash will you give me for 1 year of my rental payment history, if I'm using it for a property not in your partner network?
No deal, just a post advertising this company's ordinary business.
Thanks for your comment. If you sign up today you can back date your rent and earn points (up to 365 days). This is our first post on OzBargain. More Bargains coming soon!
It's not a bargain if this is your core business. A bargain would be "first 50 signups earn 10% extra for 3 months" or similar, therefore this is just an advertisement and should be deleted accordingly for spam.
I agree, we want bargains
@Captain Yobbo: I clicked the website and it made sense. I’m a while away from buying a house and currently spending a bucket load on rent. Something is better than nothing I guess
@Nastro: Good luck mate, it's hard enough already without these parasites offering a faint hope to desperate renters & hoovering up their data to sell to god knows who.
Thanks, changing my mind
Thanks Raj
There's no deal. Scummy
Thanks for your comment. If you sign up today you can back date your rent and earn points (up to 365 days). This is our first post on OzBargain. More Bargains coming soon!
"When you're ready to buy, your points can be applied to the deposit on a property listed in the Occubuy network. Sellers typically accept $5k to $50k (capped) in point value as part of your deposit."
LOL
No deal here, this is so scummy preying on renters
how do you make money ? you make it sound like you work for a charity?
Each time you make a Rental Payment, you will earn credits (Occubuy Credits) which can be put towards the purchase of a property (Final Purchase) from an approved Occubuy property aggregator (Property Partner), subject to you processing the Final Purchase using the Occubuy Services and maintaining an active Account. The Occubuy Credits can only be accessed once you actively engage a Property Partner for the Final Purchase. The accumulation of Occubuy Credits forms part of our loyalty scheme.
we are able to disclose your information to our partners for the purposes of our partners providing you the Services, and that we may receive a benefit from this referral
TOS
Wouldn’t mind being rewarded for my rent. Dead money anyway
Dead money anyway
It's making the banks and the rent-seekers wealthy at your expense.
No person, family, business or trust should be allowed to own more than 2 or max 3 properties.
Property has become the scourge of Australia and is creating a two-tier society.
if anyobe can help me buy my FIRST property I’ll be happy
Exactly.
A million+ dollars for the average house, it's a feckin joke.
And I feel really sorry for the folks stuck in the (now) super-expensive rent trap.
How the hell are you supposed to save for a deposit when "rent" takes so much of your pay.
How many customers so far?
10,000+ Downloads (early adopters), still in BETA. But getting feedback in these early stages is gold. And some of the comments confirm what we know renters are feeling. "Everyone is out to get me." Which is valid based on the current environment.
I think if you were just fully transparent about how you earn your money and how renters' data factors into that business model it would build trust with renters here.
How many decades rent to get $50k worth of points
Feel free to rent for a few decades more without the points.
Dont need to. I own my home outright
We've been paying rent for over a decade and got nothing back so far. This is what we are aiming to change.
Unfortunatly too many whales in the RE economy and alot of corrupt politicians to challenge, change or shake the RE market but i hope you achieve what you are set to do
If anyone DOES join this (not recommended), I'd suggest opening a new bank account and ONLY do rent payments from it, nothing else, so you're not sharing any payment info beyond rent payments.
Great suggestion for those that are concerned about the consumer benefit of Open Banking. Sounds like you know your stuff. Would be interested in chatting some more and getting more feedback. We are really trying to build the best product for renters. And any help we can get would be appreciated.
If you have any more questions, suggestions, feedback to make this the best product/bargain possible - reach out here [email protected]
Is that a call out for unpaid consulting?
Hello Nathan Aranha,
Whilst it seems like a potentially good set-up (for you, your "partners / commercial leads and general users" if you're not demonstrating clear value and being transparent, you may struggle to have much luck here….
Suggestions.
1. Answer questions clearly like where you're getting the funding to issue for rent payment.
2. Advising what the value of your 'points' are towards purchasing property that has no links to any particular partner you may have deals with.
Can you please advise about the above?
Hey mate, thanks for reaching out. Not Nathan, but I'll give you the straight answers.
Direct Answers to Your Questions:
1. Funding Rent & OccuBuy's Value
We don't fund rent payments. Users simply track their existing rent via our platform. This builds your stronger financial profile, boosting mortgage pre-approval eligibility. For OccuBuy, this data is crucial: it informs future partnerships and is how we empower Australians using the Consumer Data Right (CDR). The fund on redemption is a core part of our model, making it viable for you to earn points throughout your rental journey.
2. Points for Any Property
We've already successfully redeemed points in Victoria's secondary market on non-partnered properties (e.g., $5,000 off a $1.1M property). Our aim is redemption on virtually any Australian property. While a start, we're actively pursuing alternative funding to significantly increase point value. This creates genuine alternative pathways to homeownership.
We're a startup laser-focused on solving the homeownership challenge. We're succeeding when we help people achieve homeownership. This open discussion is truly valuable as we continue to build a strong community of homebuyers, whose collective power will help us refine and scale our solutions.
Wheres the bargain?