Symbium—a 2019 Hive 50 intel honoree—has launched a new property information portal that enables the public to freely access information about properties and the built environment around them.
Previously, data about properties was either unavailable, difficult to access, or expensive to obtain, says the company. This reality meant that, in some cases, a digital copy of property information could only be accessed by filling out a paper form. Symbium aims to alleviate these bottlenecks.
“Our mission is basically to streamline the regulatory aspects of residential construction,” explains Leila Banijamali, Symbium co-founder and CEO. “Homeowners, planners, developers, and real estate agents are starting to become the primary users of this service.”
Launching first in California, Symbium’s property portal features a novel search engine that compiles all publicly available government data about properties to make it easy for the public to access information and streamline construction project applications. Specifically, Symbium will allow the public to:
- Visualize data about any property, including different structures on a lot and applicable land uses;
- Evaluate possible additions or changes to existing buildings;
- Download planning, building, and assessor forms; and
- View submitted permit applications and permit history.
“We’re basically allowing people to understand what’s possible on a property by performing complex searches and having a new type of experience when it comes to data, search, and services,” continues Banijamali. “The services that we do really well is what we call Complaw services, computational law, which is taking the regulations, the planning, the zoning codes, and turning them into something really visual that you can interact with and understand.”
The launch of Symbium.com in California comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law Senate Bill 9 and Senate Bill 10, which legalized duplexes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and small multifamily properties on lots previously zoned exclusively for single-family homes. Routinely updated to reflect changing laws, rules, and regulations, Symbium offers a unique platform that enables Californians to understand how these new laws affect their properties and the future of housing development in the state.
“The first time we saw Symbium we knew it would be a great tool for the ADU industry,” says Steve Vallejos, president and CEO of prefabADU. “We’ve typically done property evaluations using various time-consuming tools, but Symbium helps our customers easily picture an ADU on their property and visualize all the regulations surrounding it. Symbium’s innovative tools also helped us to identify 155,000 properties in San Jose that could fit an ADU, leading us to partner with the city to launch a pre-approved plan program to expedite ADU construction. Symbium’s new portal will grow beyond ADUs and be a tremendous benefit across California.”
After successfully launching in California, Symbium plans to expand into other states with high housing needs and apply its Complaw technology to other aspects of everyday life that are governed by complex rules and regulations.