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The Lab

We created The Lab to give residents a voice as we build a better way to pay rent. We gain invaluable inspiration, input, and feedback based on diverse personal experiences shared by residents across the country.

What Lab Members Do

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Collaborate

Help us develop features that will have a BIG impact on your life

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Communicate

Discuss your housing wants and needs with dignity and openness

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Contribute

Share insights through surveys, calls with our product team, and more

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Give feedback,
get rewarded

Influence the future of rent and get rewarded for your thoughts. Fill out surveys and participate in user testing for the opportunity to get $100 off your next rent payment.

Researching a better way to pay

Housing is arguably the most important payment a household will make in any given month. The Lab works with households across the U.S. to ensure we’re creating the absolute best solutions. 

Data graphic of a pie chart composed of two values, "Yes" and "No." The title of the graphic is "If you could, would you split your rent into smaller payments at least once per year?" The data graphic shows that 74% of results are "Yes."
Photo of a hand holding a smartphone displaying the Circa mobile app's Plan screen, in which a resident can choose their flexible rent installment plan and payment method

Let’s reinvent rent together 

We welcome all residents 18 years and older, regardless of location or housing situation. Listening to a wide range of perspectives enables us to create the best possible experience for the largest number of households.

Circa was built with one thing in mind: rent. We want to listen the people that pay it!

Lab members are the first to try out and give feedback on our upcoming features. They also enjoy priority access to special promotions and receive exclusive offers.

Join the movement

Anyone who supports our mission to build stronger communities through payment innovation is invited to join The Lab.

Complete the form to the right to join.

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what members are saying

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FAQs

  • To join, sign up for The Lab newsletter. We’ll occasionally send you surveys to help inform and improve upon our future products. When we enter a prototype testing phase, we’ll reach out to active members for volunteers. Out of those who respond, we select members who best meet our research needs to test the prototypes.

  • Circa wants to reward those who choose to participate in our user testing. All Lab members will be entered into a lottery upon joining for the opportunity to win $100 their next rent payment. Winners will be drawn on a monthly basis.

  • If you’ve received an email from us about completing a survey, we’d love to hear from you! Sometimes we look for feedback from all members of The Lab, and other times we’re looking for a more specific group (like only those who use flexible payment plans).

    When we enter a prototype testing phase, we’ll send out an email to active Lab members asking for volunteers. Out of those who respond, we select members who best meet our research needs and allow us to build a demographically balanced tester pool. We try not to bother you with opportunities you won’t be interested in. For example, if you’ve never used our flexible payment plans, you’ll likely be filtered out of the pool for any related to flexible payments before the testing phase.

  • As little or as much as you want! When we send out surveys, it’s totally up to you whether you fill them out. We’ll always include an estimate of how long the survey will take. If you’re selected for prototype testing, we’ll ask you to test the product at least twice and complete an accompanying survey over the course of a week before mailing both back to us. Although the prototype surveys vary in length, they shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes.

  • Anything that can help us provide the best rent payment experience for you! That could include new payment plan options, new payment method options, new user-engagement experiences, new app functionality and more!