Digital homecare services rise in Southeast Asia

Property owners and renters can benefit from the top five resources in Asia in 2023

In the past few years, the appetite for on-demand home services in Asia has skyrocketed, with companies such as Grab, foodpanda, and Gojek leading the way. One growing sector is online platforms that offer services similar to traditional property management, but directly connect customers with providers. Here are five platforms to watch out for in 2023:

• Singapore-based Sendhelper offers on-demand access to over 2,000 verified providers of handyman and home maintenance services, household cleaning, and air conditioner maintenance. Its focus is on homeowners and renters in rental properties, and it offers transparent pricing and a one-stop shop. Recently acquired by PropertyGuru, users can rely on the proptech company not only to find, finance, and own properties, but also to maintain and manage them.
• BTaskee, a digital platform from Vietnam, has a reported base of over 400,000 users and specialises in general home cleaning, grocery shopping, and air conditioner cleaning and maintenance. It also has a customer rewards programme and regular promotional offers.
• Thailand’s start-up SAIJAI offers a wide range of home services and has diversified into the service sector with SAIJAI Hospitality. This group uses the part-time workforce to service hotels, restaurants, and property management operations, and is focused on empowering the flexible workforce. It will soon launch upskilling training for its service partners.
• ServiceHero Malaysia specialises in home and office care and offers a range of services including maids, air conditioning maintenance, painting, plumbing, electricians, and defect inspections. It also has a B2B enterprise model called WorkMagic, which includes a workflow dashboard for tracking larger jobs.
• Urban Company, formerly known as UrbanClap, is a comprehensive platform of on-demand home services across India. In addition to the typical offerings, it includes health and beauty services, pest control, and premium luxury options. It also includes insurance coverage for all requests.

About Bill Barnett

Bill Barnett — a globally recognised hospitality, tourism, and real estate advisor — is the founder and managing director of Asia-based C9 Hotelworks and the chairperson of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Greater Niseko) Judging Panel.

In addition to being a leading consultant, he is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences.  With over 30 years’ experience in the Asia Pacific region, he has an extensive background in hotel operations, development, and asset management. His past employment highlights include Senior Corporate roles at international hotel chains and publically listed companies. Bill is considered to be one of the foremost industry experts in the hotel residences sector.  To date, Bill is the author of four books on travel, property, and hospitality under the titles of Slave to the Bean, Collective Swag, It Might Get Weird and Last Call.