[06.05.26] Add rental system to improve life progression in InZOI

Brainstorm with Kjun
1

Implement an Alternative Rental System Before Purchasing Homes

Hey everyone.

I’ve been reviewing the forum and I’ve seen many suggestions related to starting with less money or having a more difficult economic experience. However, I think there’s a much more important feature that’s currently missing: a rental system.

In real life, most people don’t buy a home right after becoming independent. The most common thing is to live in rental housing for years before being able to save enough to purchase a property. That’s why I’m surprised that such a common feature of everyday life isn’t present in InZOI.

I believe implementing rentals would not only improve realism, but also player progression, giving more meaning to the start of an independent life within the game. Plus, it fits perfectly with the game’s life simulation philosophy.

Basic Features That Could Be Implemented

  • Rent apartments, houses, or rooms.
  • Monthly rental payments.
  • Security deposit when moving into a home.
  • Rental contracts.
  • Contract renewal or termination.
  • Different prices depending on the city area.
  • Basic utilities like water, electricity, and internet.
  • Possibility of sharing an apartment with other Zois to reduce expenses.
  • Move easily to a better home when the financial situation improves.
  • Opportunity to save up to purchase your own home later.

Game Start Customization

To give players more freedom, it would also be interesting to add options when creating your Zoi or family, such as:

  • Choose the initial money of the household.
  • Define an initial social class or economic situation (low, middle, high).
  • Start with different stability levels (newly independent, established family, difficult situation, etc.).

This would allow each player to decide how they want to experience the game, without forcing everyone to start the same way, and would provide more variety to playthroughs and playstyles.

Apartments and Neighbors

One of the things I miss the most is apartment living. Currently, much of the residential experience revolves around single-family homes, but it would be much more interesting to be able to live in buildings with multiple neighbors.

This would allow:

  • Meet neighbors more naturally.
  • Create friendships or rivalries.
  • Feel that the city is more alive.
  • Have an experience closer to the reality of many people.

AI-controlled Zois could also look for rental housing according to their financial situation, making the world more dynamic and immersive.

Why I Think This Is Important

It’s not simply about adding a way to “be poor,” but about representing a very common stage of real life.

Rental housing would be the natural intermediate step between starting a new life and being able to buy your own home. Moreover, it would improve player progression and make better use of urban space through apartment buildings.

Closing

I think it would be one of the most important improvements to make the life simulation more believable without needing overly complex systems.

It’s not an idea about adding more difficulty, but about adding more realistic progression that’s consistent with how real life works.

It would also allow each player to have a different experience from the start, adapting to their playstyle and the type of story they want to create.

5 Likes
2

Later Implement the Possibility of Owning Properties

Another interesting extension of this system would be to allow players to become property owners.

Since InZOI already includes work and business systems, this would fit perfectly as another way to generate income and progress economically within the game.

This could include:

  • Buying homes to rent to other Zois.
  • Managing one or multiple properties at the same time.
  • Setting rental prices based on the area or market.
  • Selecting or rejecting tenants.
  • Collecting monthly rent automatically.
  • Handling basic maintenance or property improvements.
  • Investing in renovations to increase the property’s value.
  • Having passive income as part of the game’s economic progression.

AI-controlled Zois could also act as tenants or property owners, creating a more dynamic and realistic real estate market.

This would add an extra layer of economic depth without overcomplicating the base system, since it would rely on mechanics the game already has or is developing, such as business management and money flow.

Overall, the rental system + the possibility of being a property owner would create much more complete progression:
from tenant → to economic stability → to real estate investor.

3 Likes
3

I want to buy a house directly. I don’t want to deal with renting or anything like that. :slight_smile:

4

You can already do that, but give me the option to rent as well, that’s why I put the ability to choose the start of each ZOI and its status.

5

I agree, renting should be a feature included in the game.

The only thing is, there should be an automatic charge like with utilities, not a system like the mortgage where you have to manually pay it, at least for households I’m not actively playing at the moment.

I play in rotation and so this is important.

2 Likes
6

I agree with @mialuce66 , especially about rent being handled automatically like utilities. For those of us who play multiple households in rotation, having to manually pay rent for every family could become more of a chore than a fun gameplay feature.

I also think renting would be a fantastic addition, especially if it came alongside hotels, resorts, and other temporary accommodation options in Cahaya. That city already has such a strong vacation and tourism vibe that being able to book a hotel for a trip, rent an apartment for a while, or even live there long-term as a tenant would make it feel much more alive.

It kinda adds another “stage of life” progression (?) [Unsure if this would be the expression]. Starting out in a small rented apartment, saving up, moving somewhere nicer, and eventually buying your own place would make that journey feel much more meaningful. Or stay renting forever, too.

Apartment living in general is something I’d love to see expanded. Having neighbors, roommates, and different types of housing would add a lot of variety to the stories we can tell. I believe all this might be implemented partially base game and partially DLC

1 Like