RentLokr is a neighborhood-friendly platform for users to rent out items as a source of side income. Users can rent a wide variety of items, from kids waterslides to industrial fridges.
Tyler Buchanan first came up with the idea through observing interactions on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. He found it difficult to navigate renting items on such platforms instead of selling.
Through his experiences in school working odd jobs and creating small businesses for extra cash, he realized that Rockwall County would be the perfect place to create a platform that allows people to get to know their neighbors through providing items they need for projects or events.
“There’s always people renting all kinds of crazy things,” Buchanan said. “Even if it’s just a dining room table. I mean, people will say hey, I just need an extra table for an event or a couple chairs and like you’ve just made a couple extra bucks.”
Buchanan is currently a software engineer at PepsiCo with a background in computer science and information technology. He used his skills and education to create the platform from scratch and integrate all the necessary aspects for the service.
“I’m on Facebook, I’m constantly posting,” Buchanan said. “I communicate with all of my users, so if they have feature requests or things that are not working, I’m right there. I could do the code myself.”
The platform was first rolled out to Rockwall County and surrounding areas in late April of 2026, but with feedback from users, he expanded RentLokr across Texas. Although the platform is open to the entire state, he intends to maintain the neighbor-to-neighbor feel of the renting system.
“I’m mostly focused on the neighbor-to-neighbor kind of style so that people interact with their neighbors because it’s very hard for some people to get out and meet their neighbors, especially if they just moved here,” Buchanan said.
Buchanan made sure that trust and responsibility are built into the integrity of RentLokr.
“I think what I’m trying to instill in people is like, hey, talk to your neighbor, get to know them,” Buchanan said. “Become more comfortable with who you live around.”
For Buchanan, a successful first year looks like reaching 100 rentals. The website currently has around 100 users.
“I think the biggest thing is that the business isn’t looking to make money itself,” Buchanan said. “Obviously, we want to cover the cost of credit card processing and things like that, but it is free for owners to join. They can list as many items as they want to.”
Buchanan hopes the platform will change the way neighbors interact with their community.
“It really just comes down to believing in the good of people,” Buchanan said. “There is so much good out there, and I think that’s what I really want people to be more and more comfortable with, relying on each other.”
