Renter network Stake has acquired Lighthouse and its subsidiary UMoveFree, the largest apartment locating platform in Texas. UMoveFree grows The Stake Network by offering cash back to renters when they are searching and choosing a home in a market where affordability can be a challenge.
Dallas-based Stake and UMoveFree, headquartered in Irving, use AI to help renters find a home by being matched to the best properties with the most savings.
“You can search for a deal on a hotel. You can search for a deal on a flight. But until now, you couldn’t reliably search for a deal on rent,” Rowland Hobbs, CEO and co-founder of Stake, said in a statement. “With UMoveFree powered by Stake Cash Back, we’re making affordability visible at the start. Now renters can find Cash Back offers when they’re deciding where to live, not after they’ve already signed.”
UMoveFree says it has assisted more than 5 million renters in their search for a home and provided more than $35 million in cash back to renters. The company has a management team with extensive multifamily experience and a proprietary leasing platform that combines high-intent search with concierge-level service, Stake said.
The acquisition makes Stake the first vertically integrated, AI-powered renter network engineered solely for renters, the company said—beginning with apartment search and extending through lease signing, rent payments, lease renewal, and everyday financial wellness. Stake said it now helps renters to find better value and Cash Back throughout the renter journey, giving renters the opportunity to build savings and long-term financial stability.
Equity funding
Along with the acquisition, Stake announced it closed $8 million in new debt and equity financing after growing 4x revenue in 2025.
The strategic financing was led by LAGO, with equity participants RET Ventures, Bluefield Capital, Hamilton Ventures, Gaingels, Hub Angels, and Second Century Ventures, the venture capital arm of the National Association of Realtors. The funding will speed Stake’s growth in rental search and leasing services and drive additional acquisitions.
Proceeds from the financing will be used to integrate and expand UMoveFree’s search and demand engine, scale Cash Back rental discovery into new markets, and boost product development within Stake’s renter savings platform, the company said.
This acquisition allows Stake to provide value at the beginning of the renter journey, when affordability matters most. With UMoveFree, renters can now discover cash back deals on apartments, earn rewards on rent payments, build credit automatically, and save more with Stake’s no-fee banking tools.
Features of the combined platform
Stake said it plans to boost deal-based rental discovery through its listings and loyalty engine, making rental offers “easier to find, easier to compare, and easier to trust.”
Stake’s expanded renter platform now includes cash back at lease signing through UMoveFree and participating property partners; cash back on rent with Stake Checking, a renter-first FDIC insured bank account with no monthly fees, early paycheck access, and instant rewards for paying rent; and Stake Credit Builder tools that report positive rent payments to major credit bureaus
For property partners, Stake includes Loyalty Cloud, Stake’s property performance dashboard for owners and managers, and Stake+, which drives targeted incentives—such as concessions—to renters.
Stake said that these tools working together form a renter savings ecosystem that supports both renter outcomes and property performance.
More on the deal
UMoveFree’s team and technology will now become part of Stake’s Demand Generation services, strengthening renter acquisition, campaign strategy, and market growth across Stake’s Property Network—now representing more than 550,000 homes nationwide, the company said.
“Since 2004, UMoveFree has empowered renters by combining its online apartment marketplace with a hands-on, concierge approach provided by its in-house team of apartment experts,” said Mark Finney, co-founder of UMoveFree and GM of Texas at Stake, “Now, with Stake, UMoveFree will expand its offerings into a full deal network—from search to savings.”
The acquisition also includes the integration of Lighthouse, whose mission and technology will be fully absorbed into Stake’s search and onboarding experience. Lighthouse previously acquired UMoveFree in 2023.
“We founded Lighthouse with a mission to empower renters, and we’ve found that same mission with Stake,” said Matt See, CEO of Lighthouse, “Now we can expand that mission beyond search to paying, renewing, and even banking with Stake.”
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