Renting in Boston is no joke. On top of dealing with pushy brokers, tyrannical real estate management companies and one of the country’s most expensive rental markets, there are also the hassles involved with finding a decent roommate who won’t steal your leftovers or start trombone practice at midnight.

That’s where Sumu steps in. The service, launched by 2012 Northeastern graduate Daniel Tewfik and his partner, Ethan Setnik, wants to help Bostonians find the perfect roommate. The duo began working on Sumu just over one year ago, launching a web version in June this year with mobile apps to follow in 2016. Two thousand users have signed up so far, and while Daniel and Ethan’s efforts are currently concentrated in Boston, they have dreams of expansion throughout the country and across housing markets.

“Our immediate goals are to really establish ourselves as the way people find roommates in Boston,” says Daniel. “And then New York and San Francisco. We eventually want to go in and solve the apartment lease problem. Get brokers out of the picture. And in the long-term, we’d want to be able to help you buy a home. No matter how you’re looking for your next home, Sumu wants to be there.”

Their research has shown that conditions are right for Sumu to thrive. After looking at the average salary people earn after graduation and comparing that to the average rental price of apartments in Boston, Somerville and Cambridge, they found that living alone is essentially impossible for recent graduates.

“The only time it becomes feasible again to live in a one bedroom or studio apartment by yourself without a roommate is after you’re 30, with average incomes,” Daniel says. “So what we’re really concentrating on is people within the city of Boston who have graduated and are now looking for a roommate.” That roommate search is streamlined on Sumu, where users can select and rank their priorities – these may include budget, location, parking or gender of roommates – before being presented with a list of potential matches.

One factor that Daniel has noticed users care most about is safety. He notes that the majority of users are women, and that they appreciate the breadth of information about potential roommates and the transparency offered by the service. Users can also be verified through social media accounts, a lesson Daniel jokes that he picked up from dating apps and websites, where verification is crucial.

As for repeat customers, Daniel says he hopes users won’t have to use Sumu to find roommates more than once.

“We don’t want you back on our service,” he says. “If you’re coming back to our service after you’ve found a roommate, we’ve done our job wrong. If we do our jobs right, we never see you again because you’ve found the perfect roommate.”