Product and Services Roundup: Avito, Idealista, Yandex Rent, Zefir

By chance, this week's Product Roundup is in alphabetical order, starting with...

Europe: Avito now gives paying customers extra access to rental listings

The real estate vertical of the Russian classifieds giant Avito has introduced priority access to attractive long-term rental opportunities for paying tenants.

Prospective tenants who subscribe to Avito's new product will get a 4-hour window to contact private landlords for RUB 129 ($1.60) per contact.

The initiative has been rolled out nationwide, with Avito saying it will pair determined tenants with landlords looking for faster, easier transactions.

Konstantin Kamenev, head of the long-term rental category at Avito Real Estate, said:

"The test results show that in the vast majority of cases the service is used by private tenants, not professional real estate agents, so owners will receive targeted calls directly from potential tenants. Today, the early access function has no analogues in the capital." [Translated from Russian]

Idealista introduces tenant rent insurance

Spanish market leader idealista is launching a rental insurance policy for tenants struggling to keep up with an increasingly difficult rentals market in Spain.

According to a blog post, idealista will cover up to 12 months’ unpaid rent should a tenant be unable to pay, as well as water, electricity and gas bills up to a specified limit.

Dubbed the Tenant Guarantee Program, idealista claims the product is the first of its kind in the Spanish market. Aserta backs the insurance product, and policies will cover the entirety of the lease, which in Spain can run for up to five years.

Idealista said the product aims to "give tenants peace of mind should personal circumstances threaten their ability to pay rent, in a market defined by scarcity and rising costs."

Yandex Rent introduces auctions and price negotiations for listings

Yandex Rent has launched new pricing features allowing prospective tenants to bid or negotiate rent levels on selected listings. The update is designed to help landlords increase yields while offering greater flexibility to renters.

The auction function enables landlords to receive multiple offers above the original asking price. Owners can review tenant applications in their personal dashboard, including proposed higher rental rates. Listings with active bidding are marked with a "High demand" tag.

A separate bargaining tool allows tenants to submit lower offers on properties marked "Negotiable." These listings support direct negotiation: if a tenant proposes a lower price, the landlord can either accept, decline, or issue a counteroffer within the platform. Yandex positions this feature as a means to reduce vacancy periods and expand access for renters operating within constrained budgets.

Zefir raises €15M to launch Europe’s first AI home-search assistant

Zefir has raised €15 million in new funding to accelerate its expansion into AI-powered home search.

FinTech Collective led the round, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Zigg Capital, Heartcore Capital, TX Ventures, and FJ Labs. The company has now raised €50 million in funding.

The French marketplace launched a new product called ZIA, positioned as Europe’s first AI home-search assistant. Designed to replicate the role of a buyer’s agent—common in markets like the U.S., ZIA aims to reduce friction, increase relevance, and accelerate time to offer.

Zefir co-founder and CEO Remy Fabre said:

“We were the first to bring AI into the selling experience in France—cutting sale times in half and helping agents boost their revenue. Now we’re doing the same for buyers. In a market where they have no agent on their side, our AI assistant gives them clarity, speed, and confidence.”

Unlike traditional portals, Zefir does not monetise listings through paid ranking. Instead, ZIA presents relevant homes directly, based on user prompts. The assistant also provides contextual guidance, early access to Zefir-exclusive inventory, and buyer education on trade-offs.

For agents, ZIA generates higher-intent leads, improving conversion rates.

The new offering builds on traction from Zefir’s sell-side AI platform, which aggregates inventory across 4,500 agents and applies predictive algorithms to optimise matchmaking. According to the company, homes on Zefir sell in 58 days on average—nearly twice as fast as the national median—with some agents earning up to €100,000 more annually. The marketplace now supports over €600 million in home transactions per year.

Proceeds from the latest round will fund the continued development of ZIA, expansion into France’s 15 largest cities, and a doubling of headcount—primarily in tech and product—by 2026.

FinTech Collective Partner Toby Triebel said:

“Zefir has already transformed the sell-side experience in France. With ZIA, they’re now bringing that same innovation to buyers—delivering a rare trifecta of network effects, transactional velocity, and AI-driven utility. Our conviction stems from the team’s unwavering execution and their ability to scale with precision.”