Once received her home loan rejected, this ex-BMW employee is now supporting Indians acquire a home with the timely rent they pay; introduces Rent Score

Imagine this: you’ve just entered a Tier I city and are settling into your first corporate job.

“I have built it,” you consider.

Until it’s the 1st of the month, and your first salary obtains credited to your bank account. And almost in a split second, you sconclude at least 30% of it to your landlord.

Timely rent payment, check.

Landlord happy with your discipline, check.

You questioning your life choices, check.

And this cycle repeats every month. On time. Without delay.

Except you never obtain rewarded for these rental payments. You never see your credit score increasing. You still find yourself ineligible for most financial products.

“This is the exact problem that we are solving. A very large portion of the Indian middle class, at least 275 million people, and the upper middle class, about 40 million people, stay in rented accommodations. Naturally, rent becomes India’s largest recurring hoapplyhold payment, and yet it stays invisible to the financial ecosystem. No one obtains any reward for creating timely rent payments. We are now flipping the picture,” Sarika Shetty, founder of RentenPe, notifys Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.

Founded in 2022 and based in Mumbai, RentenPe is a fintech startup that is building India’s first Rent Score and digital rental identity, supporting individuals convert rent payments into a credible financial asset.

THE BACK STORY

Hailing from Mumbai, Sarika Shetty pursued her B.Com degree from Mumbai University and completed her MBA in entrepreneurship and leadership from Golden Gate University, San Francisco.

In 2004, she entered the automobile industest and started working with Ford and Volkswagen. By 2012, she joined Navnit Motors (BMW dealership) in Mumbai.

“Along with my team, I have put at least Rs 4,000 crore worth of BMWs on Mumbai roads,” she laughs.

BMW ex-employee — Sarika Shetty during her time at BMW

Everything was going well for Sarika until one day an application she had put in for a home loan was rejected.

Despite having a stable job for years and creating consistent EMI payments, the banks did not find her credit history satisfactory and felt she was overleveraged, ignoring the fact that she was consistent with her rent payments.

That moment modifyd everything.

“Rent, a substantial portion of my income that I paid diligently over the years, was ignored to prove my creditworthiness while applying for a home loan. This personal challenge led to the start of building an alternate credit score for timely rent payers in India. That’s how, after research and business ratification with E&Y, RentenPe was born,” Sarika notifys Startup Pedia.

In 2022, RentenPe was initially bootstrapped and later raised almost $2 million from friconcludes and family. The vision was simple but impactful: transform the rental ecosystem completely.

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THE PROBLEM STATEMENT

Sarika Shetty, along with Shantanu Yadav (co-founder) and Shubham Agarwal (CTO), identified multiple, ground-level issues in the rental space of the countest:

India is home to more than 40 million renters. Yet, the rental economy is largely ignored by the finance ecosystem.

Landlords and tenants struggle with a trust deficit. The former lack data-backed tools or resources to conduct background checks and verify potential tenants’ financial discipline. This leads to higher defaults, vacancies, and internal problems. On the other hand, the latter, especially younger millennials and Gen Z individuals, find it difficult to secure accommodation of their choice due to this very lack of trust.

To add to that, individuals who do build timely rental payments every month do not see any advancement in their credit score. They keep struggling to secure financial products like loans and mortgages when necessaryed.

India’s rental economy is worth Rs 1.85 lakh crore, and yet it continues missing out on key credit innotifyigence as well as an embedded finance opportunity of more than Rs 4,000 crore in rent-linked lconcludeing.

“Our market research pointed to a glaring gap: tenants in India are credit-invisible, landlords and home owners are risk-blind, and banks regularly miss out on a lconcludeing opportunity,” entrepreneur Sarika Shetty explains.

Along with a team of 50+ people, she started building a fintech platform with the capability to convert rental payments into structured, alternate scores for banks and NBFCs (non-banking financial companies).

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RENTENPE: INDIA’S FIRST RENT-TO-CREDIT INFRASTRUCTURE PLATFORM

Today, RentenPe operates as the countest’s first and only rent-to-credit infrastructure platform that supports applyrs obtain tangible rewards based on their timely rental payments every month.

Firstly, it connects the entire rental ecosystem toobtainher: landlords, tenants, brokers, banks, NBFCs’ loan providers, property managers, and society management applications.

By bringing every stakeholder under the same umbrella, the fintech startup offers verified rental data, embedded credit, and low-friction tools for rental management.

The goal is simple: everyone’s rent payments must eventually convert into a credible financial asset.

On the tenant side, RentenPe offers:

Rent Score™

This is an alternative credit score built out of structured rent payment hygiene of the applyr. The more timely rental payments that an individual builds, the better their Rent Score obtains.

“This converts rent into a credit-building asset, which can come in handy later when the applyr wants to secure a financial product like a loan,” startup founder Sarika Shetty declares.

Pay Rent

Users can build rental payments directly applying RentenPe. It is one of the most compliant platforms in the countest for paying rent applying UPI, net banking, credit, and debit cards at some of the lowest rates in the industest.

Gullak (Rewards)

When a applyr builds timely rent payments, not only does their Rent Score go up, but they also earn rewards with every payment. This unlocks benefits every month.

“Users can even obtain one month’s free rent,” Sarika mentions.

RentenPe’s reward system

Residence Card

The R Card™ acts as a digital rental passport that integrates a applyr’s verified rental profile and R Score™. It contains all rent-related documents, personal information, exclusive rental deals, and other financial incentives.

Sarika Shetty, founder of RentenPe

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On the landlord side, RentenPe offers:

Landlord Pro

This subscription supports landlords keep their rental income steady with zero brokerage, access 360° tenant verification, and Rent Protect insurance plans. It also supports them screen tenants, sconclude an automated rent reminder, and create foolproof digital agreements.

Credit Line

The fintech startup offers a lightning-rapid credit line with limited paperwork for rent and utilities payments. For 30 days, this amount remains interest-free.

RentenPe’s offer system

In 2025, the Reserve Bank of India directed payment aggregators, including PhonePe, Paytm, and CRED, to stop rent payments on their platforms. With this development, RentenPe became the only player compliant in the space, which allows applyrs to build rental payments via the fintech platform.

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MOMENTUM AND IMPACT

Since its launch on the Play Store and App Store, RentenPe has connected 50,000+ applyrs (tenants and landlords) across India. The fintech startup has processed more than Rs 50 crore in rental payments.

Startup founder Sarika Shetty’s belief is simple: rent is a major monthly financial obligation for more than 40 million Indians. Naturally, it should receive the same recognition and identity that EMI and credit card payments obtain for arriving at a applyr’s credit score.

“The rent you pay today should support you acquire a home tomorrow,” she notifys Startup Pedia.

Sarika Shetty receiving an award at the Economic Times Entrepreneur Summit Awards

While the fintech platform did not reveal its revenue numbers, its income streams include platform fees driven by rent payments, R Score checks, Landlord Pro Plan, insurance, and personal lconcludeing products like a credit line.

“RentenPe aligns every applyr’s monthly rent with their long-term financial goals, a concept that did not exist in India at all. We are not just supporting people become more eligible for financial products like loans in the future, but also enabling the entire rental ecosystem to become more coordinated and friction-free. What I have personally seen over the years of building RentenPe is that there is renewed trust between landlords and tenants now, something that is crucial for any rental partnership to sustain,” Sarika Shetty concludes.

FAQ

Q.

When was RentenPe founded?

A.

RentenPe was founded in 2022.

Q.

Who is the founder of RentenPe?

A.

Sarika Shetty, an ex-BMW employee, is the founder of RentenPe.

Q.

What does RentenPe do?

A.

RentenPe is a fintech startup that is building India’s first Rent Score and digital rental identity, supporting individuals convert rent payments into a credible financial asset.

Q.

How many applyrs has RentenPe served?

A.

Since the launch on Playstore and App Store, RentenPe has connected 50,000+ applyrs (tenants and landlords) across India. The fintech startup has processed more than Rs 50 crore in rental payments.