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Rent.com.au (ASX:RNT) strikes electricity and gas partnership with Origin Energy (ASX:ORG)

ASX News, Real Estate
ASX:RNT      MCAP $15.74M
12 July 2022 11:06 (AEST)

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Rent.com.au (RNT) has signed a deal with electricity giant Origin Energy (ORG) to offer electricity and gas services to Rent.com.au customers.

Under the deal, RNT will integrate Origin’s electricity and gas services into its existing RentConnect product and offer customers a ‘Bill Smoothing’ product through its RentPay service.

In return, RNT will receive a commission for each of its customers who signs up for one of Origin’s electricity or gas plans or each customer that makes payments towards its Origin energy bills using the Bill Smoothing feature.

The contract lasts for an initial term of 24 months from its start date, after which Origin has the option to extend it for another 12 months.

Rent.com.au CEO Greg Bader said this was an “incredibly exciting” chapter in the company’s growth story.

“Not only is Origin one of the largest electricity and gas retailers in the country, powering millions of households, but importantly for us they recognise and value the uniqueness of our renting community,” Mr Bader said.

“We have always preferred a single partner model because it means we can provide a seamless experience and negotiate great deals for our customers.”

RNT’s RentConnect channel is designed to help simplify the moving process by allowing customers to connect electricity and gas services through an online platform to be ready on moving day.

Rent.com.au will return some of its commission from Origin for each customer that signs up for an Origin energy or gas plan by providing them with a $100 gift card.

Existing RentConnect products will now include Origin electricity and gas services in the offers and services listing.

Meanwhile, RentPay is a service that helps renters “make rent money work” for them, according to RNT, by offering flexibility to choose how and when to pay, access emergency funds, build a credit score and save.

As part of the Origin partnership, the new Bill Smoothing will allow renters to be able to pay some of their bills on a frequent, regular basis to help manage budgets and avoid cost surprises.

Rent.com.au said customers could have up to $260 per year credited to their RentPay wallet when using RentPay.

“We see this as just the start in terms of what we can ultimately deliver to renters, both through this partnership as well as more broadly via RentPay,” Mr Bader said.

Shares in Rent.com.au were up 5.26 per cent to 4 cents per share at 10:33 am AEST, with Origin shares up 0.53 per cent to $5.64 at the same time.

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