MyRoomie has announced its expansion to Cyprus and the launch of its early access list for Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos, marking the first step of its organised presence in the Cypriot market.
The Athenian Living as a Service platform, the founder and CEO of which is Dominikos Pritis, recently opened its early access list for Cyprus, as part of its broader expansion to 28 European markets, the 27 EU member states and the United Kingdom, with support in 17 languages.
"Maria accepted an offer for a junior marketing position in Limassol in the autumn. It took her less than a week to say 'yes'. However, it took her almost three months to find a place to stay. She is not the exception, as millions of people across Europe live the same contradiction, with a professional opportunity coming quickly, but its practical implementation taking much longer. A job in Limassol, a master's degree in Berlin, a contract at a call centre in Warsaw - the offer arrives by email, but the housing search that follows often feels like a second interview. More difficult than the first, with no clear rules and no guarantees of results," the company, which is entering the local market, emphasises in this regard in an announcement.
The numbers confirm this experience. Rents in the EU have risen by 26.7% since 2010, according to Eurostat. In capitals such as Athens, Prague, Warsaw, Lisbon, and also in cities like Limassol, housing costs routinely exceed 40% of income - the threshold that marks financial suffocation. At the same time, Eurofound data shows that 27% of working Europeans aged 25–34 were still living with their parents in 2026. Not always by choice.
"For students, the situation is even more difficult. Europe has over 21 million tertiary-level students and the shortage of student housing is estimated at around three million beds. The result is known to anyone who has been through it: getting into university is the easy part. The room is the problem," MyRoomie characteristically underlines.
"The pressure is not standing still, as over 10 million workers move within the EU, and hybrid work has made cross-border movements more frequent - but also 'quieter'. People are moving more often, over longer distances, for a variety of reasons. The infrastructure for finding housing in a foreign city has not kept up. Most platforms assume that you already know the city, speak the language and understand the local rules in leases and contracts. If any of these do not apply, you are on your own," the Athenian platform explains, among other things.
Because this isn't just a personal problem
MyRoomie focuses on the fact that housing has become one of the main filters through which it is decided whether an opportunity is ultimately feasible. “A graduate evaluating a proposal in Amsterdam is also evaluating whether they can live there. A company moving staff to Athens is wondering whether those staff will stay once they see the rental market – or whether the move will be doomed before it even starts,” it notes, stressing that housing is not, therefore, exclusively a social policy issue. “It is an obstacle to mobility – something that affects employers, universities, cities and national economies, not just tenants,” it adds. The European Commission is actively encouraging labour mobility to address skills shortages, but the single market still lacks a digital infrastructure for the most basic question a worker or student asks when considering moving: "Can I find somewhere to stay, and what will it be like in practice?"
An Athenian startup trying a different approach
It is precisely this gap that MyRoomie is attempting to address. The Athenian Living as a Service platform recently opened its early access list for Cyprus, as part of its broader expansion to 28 European markets, the 27 EU member states and the United Kingdom, with support in 17 languages.
It is noted that the company already operates an active platform in Greece with 15,775 users and 1,851 verified real estate listings, clarifying that the waiting list is not an early product launch. It is a structured way to understand where demand is greatest, which categories of users face the biggest gaps, and how the housing problem differs from market to market.
“A student looking for a room in Warsaw has a completely different problem than a professional moving to Limassol or a freelancer trying to set up in Lisbon,” Dominikos Pritis, founder and CEO emphasises. “If we want to build something that has real value, we need to understand these differences before we launch - not after,” Pritis underlines.
MyRoomie was born from the need for a more human and functional shared living experience and today it is expanding its footprint beyond co-living, into residences, flexible living solutions and relocation support. In Greece it works with 11 real estate agencies and manages 300 properties on behalf of owners and operators. The Cyprus early access list will help determine not only when the market will be activated, but also with what local adaptations, partnerships and priorities.
The benefits for the subscriber
For those who sign up, the benefit is not just a spot on a list. It's priority access when the platform goes live in Cyprus, updates on the schedule, and the ability to convey exactly what's missing from the local housing market - from transparency and reliability to relocation support and the overall experience of finding a roommate or home.
For Maria in Limassol, the promise is ultimately very simple: the next person who says "yes" to a job in Cyprus won't need three months to find a place to stay.
The waiting list is open at new.myroomieapp.com
(Source: InBusinessNews)
