Important

Required Setup: Connect Your Database This application requires a connection to a MongoDB database to run. You must create a .env.local file with your database connection string.

1. Create a .env.local file in the root of your project.
2. Copy the contents from the .env.example file into your new .env.local file.
3. Fill in the MONGODB_URI and NEXTAUTH_SECRET values in .env.local.

Your app will not start until this is done. This is a one-time setup.

RentNest – House & Apartment Rentals

Welcome to RentNest, a modern, full-stack property rental web application. This platform allows users to browse, filter, and save property listings, while providing landlords with a dedicated dashboard to manage their properties.

✨ Features

• Advanced Property Search: Filter listings by city, price range, and property type.
• Interactive UI: A clean, responsive design with a glassmorphism aesthetic and a dark mode toggle.
• User Accounts: Guests can browse, while registered users can save favorites and contact landlords.
• Landlord Dashboard: A protected area for landlords to add, edit, and manage their rental properties.
• Favorites System: Users can save their favorite properties for easy access later.
• Booking Calendar: Users can request property viewings using an interactive calendar.
• Similar Listings: Discover more properties with the "similar listings" feature on each property page.
• Contact Landlords: Built-in contact form and a WhatsApp button for instant communication.

🚀 Tech Stack

• Framework: Next.js (App Router)
• Styling: Tailwind CSS & ShadCN
• Database: MongoDB (with Mongoose)
• Authentication: NextAuth.js (role-based)
• Deployment: Vercel

⚙️ Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or later)
• npm, yarn, or pnpm
• MongoDB database

Installation & Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/rentnest.git
   cd rentnest

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables: Create a .env.local file in the root of the project and copy the contents of .env.example. Fill in the required values.

   cp .env.example .env.local

4. Run the development server:

   npm run dev

   The application will be available at http://localhost:3000.

Seed Data (Optional)

To populate the database with dummy data for testing, you can run the seed script:

# This is a placeholder for a future seed script
# npm run seed

🔐 Authentication Roles

• Guest: Can browse listings and use search/filter functionalities.
• User: Can do everything a guest can, plus save favorites, book visits, and contact landlords.
• Landlord: Has a dashboard to manage their own properties and view incoming messages.

🚢 Deployment

This application is configured for easy deployment on Vercel.

1. Push your code to a GitHub repository.
2. Import the repository on Vercel.
3. Add the environment variables from your .env.local file to the Vercel project settings.
4. Deploy!

🔗 Live Demo

[Link to your deployed Vercel app will go here]