Stakeholder Coordination and Value Creation in Multi-Sided Platforms: a Case of Uniplaces

The rise of digital platforms has significantly impacted the housing market by enabling housing transactions to take place entirely online between users in different locations. However, in the context of international student mobility, the application of this model faces unique challenges related to risk and uncertainty that technology alone cannot completely address. This internship report examines the operations of Uniplaces, a digital housing platform, to understand how the company facilitates interactions and coordination among all stakeholders involved in the mid-term rental market. A qualitative study was conducted based on semi-structured interviews with internal managers in order to analyse the operational practices of Uniplaces. The findings showed that Uniplaces functions as a hybrid system combining digital infrastructure and organisational support. Automated systems provide an efficient means of searching for properties and creating matches, however, the organisation provides significant support in establishing trust and reducing the amount of friction across the platform. Human intervention is essential in situations where automated processes cannot adequately respond to unexpected user behaviour or operational exceptions. The study demonstrates that success within this high-risk housing marketplace will depend on balancing the efficiency of automation and the reliability of organisational oversight. Rather than operating as a passive technical infrastructure, the platform creates value by using manual support to mitigate risks and ensure coordination between students, landlords, and institutional partners.