Pokhara,
Finding a suitable rental home should be a straightforward process. People generally know their budget, preferred location and housing requirements. However, for many renters in Nepal, finding a place to live often involves unnecessary delays, unreliable information, repeated visits and additional expenses.
Recognizing this problem through his own experience in Kathmandu, young entrepreneur Ajar Gurung from Pokhara has turned his frustration into a business idea. He founded Nawa Niwas, an online rental platform designed to connect property owners directly with people looking for rooms, flats and houses.
Gurung moved from Pokhara to Kathmandu in search of educational and professional opportunities. During his nearly three-year stay in the capital, he initially lived in a hostel. However, as his need for privacy and independent living grew, he decided to find a separate place to rent.
What followed was far from easy.
Despite searching online and reaching out through personal contacts, he struggled to find suitable accommodation. Eventually, he had to approach a real estate broker, who charged Rs. 500 for a property visit and between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 5,000 as brokerage fees, depending on the accommodation.
The experience made him realize that the problem was not necessarily a lack of rental properties but the difficulty of finding accurate information and connecting directly with property owners.
That realization became the foundation of Nawa Niwas.
An Entrepreneurial Journey Across Different Sectors
Nawa Niwas is not Gurung’s first entrepreneurial initiative. He has explored several business ideas and creative ventures, gaining experience in marketing, branding and real estate.
He founded Buzzing Bees, a social media marketing company, and Ajar Real Estate, through which he produces video content related to the property market. He has also been involved in ventures such as Chiyalaya, a tea café, and Project Offline, a lifestyle initiative encouraging people to participate in real-world activities rather than remain constantly engaged with digital screens.
His experience producing property-related video content for Lalpurja Nepal further strengthened his understanding of real estate marketing and the importance of presenting properties effectively to potential buyers and tenants.
Beyond business, Gurung has also been active in youth engagement and educational initiatives. He served as a Liaison Manager on the Board of Directors of LOFA Pokhara, where he was involved in financial literacy campaigns and youth-focused activities.
His achievements also include winning the International Business Olympiad 2022 and securing gold and silver medals at the Nepal Economics Olympiad 2023.
These experiences across entrepreneurship, marketing and real estate eventually came together in the form of Nawa Niwas.
A Platform Connecting Landlords and Tenants
Officially launched on September 20, 2026, Nawa Niwas is an online rental marketplace designed to make the process of finding and renting properties easier.
The platform allows property owners to list their rooms, flats and houses by providing relevant information and photographs. Prospective tenants can browse available properties, explore different options and contact the respective property owners directly.
One of its key features is its zero-cost listing policy for property owners and zero commission on regular rental transactions.
Unlike platforms or services that charge landlords for property advertisements or tenants for finding accommodation, Nawa Niwas aims to make property discovery accessible without additional listing fees or rental commissions.
Initially, the platform is focusing on addressing rental housing challenges in the Kathmandu Valley, with a long-term vision of expanding its services across Nepal.
Nearly 200 Property Listings Within Weeks
Nawa Niwas has recorded encouraging early growth since its launch.
Within just 18 days of operation, the platform had reached 100 property listings. By around its sixth week, the number had grown to 184 listings.
For a newly launched rental marketplace, attracting property owners and building an initial collection of listings represents an important first step.
However, the real challenge goes beyond collecting property listings. The platform must ensure that the advertised properties are genuinely available, the information is accurate and prospective tenants can easily connect with landlords.
Moving from simply building a property database to generating actual connections between landlords and tenants will be an important phase in the company’s growth.
Building Trust in a Competitive Rental Market
Nepal’s rental market already has several ways of connecting landlords and tenants, including Facebook groups, classified websites, real estate brokers and personal recommendations.
For a new platform like Nawa Niwas, standing out in this competitive environment will require more than an attractive website.
Tenants expect accurate photographs, transparent rental prices, updated availability information and direct communication with property owners. Similarly, landlords want genuine inquiries from interested tenants without having to spend unnecessary time answering irrelevant requests.
Maintaining listing quality, building user trust and attracting regular visitors will therefore be crucial to the platform’s long-term success.
As a young startup, Nawa Niwas must balance the expansion of its property listings with the quality and reliability of the information it provides.
Beyond Property Listings: A Bigger Vision
While its immediate objective is to simplify the process of finding and listing rental properties, Nawa Niwas has a broader long-term vision.
The company aims to gradually develop its platform into a wider digital ecosystem connecting businesses and services associated with finding, renting and living in a home.
The idea is to make the entire experience of finding accommodation and settling into a new place more convenient and accessible.
For Gurung, the initiative is rooted in a problem he personally experienced as a renter in Kathmandu after moving from Pokhara. By combining his understanding of entrepreneurship, marketing and real estate, he has attempted to develop a practical solution to a common problem faced by students, young professionals and families.
With nearly 200 listings already secured in its early weeks, Nawa Niwas has made a promising start. Its next challenge is to turn those listings into meaningful connections and establish itself as a reliable platform in Nepal’s rental market.
Ultimately, the idea behind Nawa Niwas is simple: finding a home should not be unnecessarily complicated.
About Nawa Niwas
Nawa Niwas is an online rental platform that connects property owners with individuals searching for rooms, flats and houses in Nepal. It offers free property listings for landlords and does not charge commissions on regular rental transactions.
Website: www.nawaniwas.com