Need a suction vac because your basement just flooded? Want to go paddle boarding without spending $400? What about a pressure washer or even a bounce house?

Check with Yoodlize, a peer-to-peer rental platform whose founder and CEO Jason Fairbourne grew up in Bountiful. The company launched in Utah County in 2020 and has since spread throughout the state and into California and Hawaii. Four of its six employees hail from Bountiful.

The business model operates on a community level with neighbors renting from neighbors. 

Taylor Crane, head of marketing and also a Bountiful native, extols the benefits of a shared economy that Yoodlize promotes. “Many of us are wasteful consumers who buy every single thing we need and then don’t have a place to store it all,” he said. “That’s hard on the earth. By consuming less and sharing what we have, we all benefit.”

Yoodlize is similar to companies like Airbnb, Turo, and Swimply except people are renting out stuff instead of homes, cars or swimming pools. The person renting out the item earns extra cash and the person renting from them saves money by not needing to buy or store the item.

“Everyone has things in their house that they rarely use,” said Crane. “Why not earn extra money renting them out?”

The concept is especially relevant to younger generations who ascribe to the less is more philosophy as opposed to their parents’ tongue-in-cheek mantra, “He who dies with the most toys wins.”

The company’s marketing schtick is “Rent Anything.”

So, what are Davis County residents renting and are their offerings unique to other parts of the state?

“Some of the more popular items tend to be very similar in every region,” said Crane. “Things like utility trailers, bounce houses, paddle boards, power tools, carpet cleaners, pressure washers and so forth. But West Bountiful is the only place I know of where a guy is renting out his horses.

“In St. George a man rents out a day on his boat with himself as the driver,” Crane continues. “I’ve seen listings for jet skis, ATVs, virtual reality headsets and even puppies.”

There are two types of users on Yoodlize. One is the side hustler who has an inventory of items and uses the platform to rent them out. The other is the person who sees the app as a way to preserve the environment and benefit her community. Someone who asks, “Why do I have four mountain bikes?” and sees the app as an alternative to consumption.

Yoodlize makes money by tacking on a small fee to each transaction that is built into the price listed on the app. Both sides contribute. The person renting pays the sales tax. All items are insured up to $2,000. 

“If you want to restore your faith in humanity, look at our insurance record,” said Fairbourne. “We’ve only had to use the insurance a few times. People take good care of the things they’re renting from local community members. A bike broke one time and the renter repaired it and made it even better before returning it.”

Yoodlize won’t allow certain things on the app. “We have a screening process and only list legitimate items and verify accounts,” said Crane. “We want people to feel safe.”

Over the last quarter, the company saw a 400% growth in listings. 

“People are really getting excited about it,” Crane said.