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In this article, we use the word "landlord" loosely to also mean tenants who are looking to transfer their lease or looking for a housemate.
Today, we received feedback from one landlord. She complained that when she searched for "Lakeside MRT," her listing didn’t show up in the results. Previously, Hozuko defined an MRT as "nearby" if it was within a 15-minute walking distance of a property. This definition turned out to be too narrow. In the worst-case scenario, that sometimes meant a straight-line distance of only about 250m — too narrow to capture good listings near an MRT station.
Landlord's complaint
Landlord's property turned out to be within 1km radius of the Lakeside MRT
Straight-line vs walking distance
Imagine you want to visit a friend. If you could fly straight to their house, that's the straight-line distance. But since you have to walk along roads and paths, the actual route you take is the walking distance, which is often longer due to obstacles like buildings or fences.
This narrow MRT search radius made things difficult for both landlords and renters. Landlords might receive fewer inquiries because their properties don't appear in relevant searches. At the same time, renters could miss out on excellent listings that are slightly farther from, yet still conveniently close to, an MRT station. Recognizing the impact of this issue, we took immediate action. We expanded our MRT search radius to 2km on the very same day.
Why The Change?
- Our original definition of “nearby” was based on a 15-minute walk. However, in urban areas, a 15-minute walk can vary widely because of different pedestrian routes and obstacles. In some cases, the effective search area was as small as 250m in a straight line.
- Sometimes navigation systems miss shortcuts, so a 15-minute walk might take only 10 minutes.
- There might be great deals just a little further from the MRT stations.
What does this mean for you?
- More Options: Renters will now see a wider range of properties since our search includes listings within a 2km radius of MRT stations.
- Greater Discoverability: Landlords benefit from increased exposure, which means a higher chance of connecting with interested tenants.
With this change, we hope to drive more engagement. More listings in the search results mean more chances to find the perfect match, whether you’re a renter or a landlord.
Our Commitment
Hozuko is a new platform—it’s only been three weeks since our launch. We know there is a lot of room for improvement, and we are committed to providing a best-in-class experience for our users. Expanding the MRT search radius is just one of the many improvements we are making (and there may be thousands more to come).
While we have expanded the search radius to 2km today, this isn’t fixed. We may adjust it—say, to 1.8km—until we find the perfect sweet spot for both landlords and renters. Your feedback is essential to our ongoing improvement.
Resolved on the very same day — Hozuko's response
Resolved on the very same day — Landlord's response
We Want to Hear From You
This change is just the beginning. We will continue to monitor feedback and make further adjustments as needed. If you have thoughts on this update or ideas for additional features, please let us know!
Thank you for being a part of our community and for helping us make our service better every day.
A special thank you to the landlord who took the time to provide this valuable feedback.
Send us a feedback on WhatsApp! Include screenshots and detailed description.
