Our story
Hi, I’m Danie.
I live in Gordon’s Bay, I write software, and I’m about to become a landlord for the first time.
Getting ready to let my own place, I pictured how it usually goes: the lease in one folder, inspection photos on my phone, rent in a banking app, and the renewal date somewhere in my head. When something goes wrong, nobody, owner or tenant, can find the record. Things that should be simple end up in the dark.
So I’m building Porchlight, for me and for my tenant first. My home will be the first one on it.
The name comes from the light by the front door. Here we call it the stoep light. You leave it on when you’re expecting someone. It says welcome, it says we’re home, and it keeps the step safe. That’s what renting should feel like, for both sides.
Porchlight is built by an ordinary person, for ordinary people: owners with one or two homes and tenants who just want to know where they stand.
What we stand for
- We never sell your data.Your homes, your tenants, your money. Not for advertisers, not for data brokers. Ever.
- No tracking.No advertising cookies, no profiling. We only use what keeps you signed in.
- Fair to both sides.Owners and tenants see the same record. That’s what keeps a tenancy friendly.
- The law, made easy.Rands, SA banks, municipal statements and South African rental law, built in.
- Your data comes with you.Stored in South Africa, encrypted, and free to download at any time.
- Honest pricing.Every feature on every plan. The price shown is the price you pay.
- Only with a court order.We only hand over information when the law requires it, and we tell you when we’re allowed to.
- Calm beats clever.Few screens, plain words, nothing you have to learn twice.