Unit Rental Platform
A web platform that lets the client’s rent self-storage units online and run day-to-day operations for 20+ U.S. facilities designed, built, and rolled out by JetRuby.
Technologies
Ruby on Rails, React, Hotwire (Stimulus + Turbo), Tailwind CSS, PostgreSQL, Redis
Industry
Real Estate
Engagement Model
Managed Delivery
Platform
iOS, Android, Web
Team
9 members
Timeline
6 months
Client & Project Overview
Our client is a US real estate developer that decided to repurpose part of its portfolio into self‑storage facilities.
With no in‑house engineering department, their RoR-skilled CTO was looking for a contractor he could trust, audit, and collaborate with directly.
JetRuby’s deep Ruby expertise, backed by our Lead Ruby Developer, became the deciding factor.
The initial request was for a public web interface that allows everyday consumers to locate a facility, select a unit that meets their size and price constraints, and complete the rental process online.
Project Objectives & Challenges
We kicked off with a two‑week Discovery & Design (DnD) sprint, clarified the MVP scope, and approved a delivery roadmap with fortnightly demonstrations.
But it faced several challenges:
Legacy insurance APIs
Outdated, XML-based endpoints with sparse and inconsistent documentation.
Bug surge post-MVP launch
Early users uncovered edge cases that slipped through pre-release testing.
Evolving CRM requirements
Key operator workflows were undocumented, causing continual scope expansion.
Parallel legacy systems
Staff had to bounce between spreadsheets and the new CRM during rollout.
Our Work
JetRuby focused on shipping a stable, all-Ruby platform fast:
Technical audit (2 weeks)
Mapped end-to-end flows, defined third-party integrations, and set up CI/CD + smoke tests.
Consumer portal (12 weeks)
Delivered facility map, unit picker, checkout, and renter dashboard live before the 2024 peak season.
Operator CRM (ongoing)
Introduced lead intake, one-click rentals, StorEDGE sync, and follow-up workflows (automatic and manual sending of SMS, emails, and calls, plus reminders about them) without disrupting consumer releases.
Adaptive delivery
When funding paused, we transitioned from time-and-materials (T&M) to fixed-price milestones, retaining the same squad (PM, BA, RoR/Hotwire developers, QA, DevOps), and demoed usable features every sprint.
Daily collaboration with the client’s CTO ensured each release matched real-world operations.
Results & Business Impact
- Seamless 24/7 OperationsThe new consumer portal processed 24/7 reservations and payments without a single outage, while the operator CRM kept more than twenty facilities on the same page in real time.
- Future-Proof Ruby CodebaseBeyond immediate stability, the cleaner Ruby codebase slashed future maintenance efforts and freed the client’s CTO to focus on new features instead of firefighting.
- Scalable, Team-Driven PlatformMost importantly, the client’s team now runs and extends the platform with full documentation and predictable fixed-price milestones, laying the groundwork for an SLA support agreement and the next wave of expansion.
