Yes. The Romans had a wide choice of living arrangements, similar to what we have now. Houses were rented, flats were rented, rooms in properties were rented, and enormous houses were sectioned up and rented out in pieces. This last option was popular with the rich. They would hire a builder to construct a new part of their house every year or so, then move in when it was ready. In the early days of Rome there were probably only slaves available for rental, but as time went on this became an expensive habit. Fathers would sometimes rent out their young sons who could be given as security on a loan. When these boys grew up they would be returned to their parents. Other people would rent out their friends or relatives. In this way everyone involved made money from the transaction. Rent is money paid for the use of a property. At one time or another, everyone has needed a place to live. When you rent you are paying someone else to use their property while you are gone and returning it clean when you're done. Rent is very important for cities like London or New York because there aren't enough buildings to go around. If everyone tried to claim a room in their house they wouldn't be able to offer them all at a price they could afford. In ancient Rome rent was usually paid in advance.