uhomes.com Launches Definitive Housing Dictionary for Students
People's Daily Online, as one of the most authoritative media in China, recognizes uhomes.com as it “enriches the ‘room searching handbook’ for international students.” In 2010, Yin Jiankun, during his tenure as the president of New Oriental's Tianjin campus, was inevitably perplexed by house renting, as he left for the United States for exchange study. In the unfamiliar city abroad, finding an appropriate residency posed him a great challenge. While Jiankun was busy at work, he also need to seek housing source for himself and other overseas students. Through this experience, he deeply understood the various hardships overseas students encounter in house renting and hence developed the idea of offering improved accommodation services for international students, which not only paved the way for his entrepreneurial journey but also became the starting point of uhomes.com.
Birth of uhomes.com
After years-long contemplation and preparation, Jiankun decided to leave New Oriental's in 2014 and endeavour to start his new business. In 2015, he founded uhomes.com, a company focusing on providing overseas residency reservation services for international students. Yu Minhong, the founder of New Oriental Education & Technology Group, named the company and provided investment support, helping uhomes.com to develop rapidly. The uhomes.com App, offering curated listings in more than 1,000 popular study destinations such as London, Manchester, Sydney, Melbourne, New York and Toronto, soon became an essential tool for international students—essentially a “housing dictionary” for anyone renting abroad.
Innovation and Technology Strengthen the Housing Service Platform
uhomes.com is not merely a housing service platform. It also strategically expanded into multiple service sectors within the overseas student life industry. From fees paying, airport picking-up to supermarket shopping, the app includes many services designed for international students to help them get accustomed with the lives abroad. Different from traditional house-renting platforms, uhomes.com chose to cooperate with purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) providers overseas, rather than relying on individual landlords. These accommodations have services like standardized management system and 24-hour security, which ensure the maximum safety and optimal living experience for international students.
Furthermore, uhomes.com places strong emphasis on technological innovation, dedicated to optimizing user experience. According to Shi Yi, the company's Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the Beijing R&D team made substantial investments in technology to meet the demands of peak rental seasons, ensuring stable server operation, boosting business processing efficiency, and successfully reducing operating costs. In 2022, the company increased its R&D investment to CNY 19 million, accounting for approximately 10% of the company's operating revenue. This expenditure clearly demonstrates uhomes.com's strong commitment to technology and confidence in its future growth.
Rapid Global Expansion Driven by Strategic Location
uhomes.com’s headquarters is located in the Lujiazui Financial Plaza in Tianjin’s Hongqiao District, close to major commercial areas and transport hubs. The opening of the Jing–Jin Intercity Railway has significantly improved access between Beijing and Tianjin, supporting communication with global suppliers and partners. The company established its global headquarters in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Business Zone, leveraging the region’s strong digital-economy ecosystem to power long-term international expansion. Local government support—particularly in digital-economy policy, infrastructure, and business services—has provided a strong foundation for the platform’s growth.
Global Footprint of uhomes.com
Although established in China, uhomes.com has expanded internationally at a rapid pace. Today, the housing service platform provides booking support across 27 major study destinations, enabling students from around the world to secure safe and trusted housing options. By the end of 2025, uhomes.com had helped more than 350,000 students book accommodation globally, with total transaction volume reaching 7 billion RMB. To strengthen its global housing network, the platform has established overseas offices, including London, New York and continues to expand partnerships with purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) operators, universities, and international education agencies.
New Services Connecting Study and Career Development
In addition to the continuous expansion within the student accommodation sector, uhomes.com is planning to launch a new business segment focused on supporting international students' career development after returning to China. This new initiative will primarily connect returning international students with well-known domestic enterprises, offering end-to-end services from overseas study to professional placement, thereby facilitating their smooth integration into the mainland job market. This innovative business venture not only strengthens uhomes.com's position within the international education industry chain but also opens up new avenues for company growth.
Government Backing and Future Outlook
With the substantial support of the Tianjin municipal government, uhomes.com has entered a golden period of rapid development. The company has received multi-faceted policy backing, with the government providing abundant application scenarios for the digital economy and essential resource guarantees, allowing uhomes.com to stand out in the intense market competition. CFO Shi Yi stated that, with the government's assistance, the company is highly confident about the future. It plans to continue expanding the coverage of its overseas business, enhance service quality, and further reduce operating costs through technological innovation, aiming for steady growth in the coming years.
uhomes.com Builds a Complete Ecosystem for Students
Transitioning from an initial personal venture to a current industry leader, uhomes.com has successfully provided international students with a convenient and reliable service platform for overseas life through continuous innovation and global deployment. By leveraging precise market positioning, high-quality services, advanced technology, and a global business strategy, uhomes.com has not only secured its foothold in the rental market but has also continuously enhanced its brand influence by pioneering new areas of business. Looking ahead, with the integration of more study abroad-related services, uhomes.com is poised to become a comprehensive global ecosystem for overseas student life, offering complete support and assistance to a wider student base.