Spot and avoid rental scams
Most people on Roomie are exactly who they say they are. The few who are not tend to follow the same script: a great place at a low price, a reason you cannot see it yet, and a request for money to hold it.
The one rule that beats nearly all of them: see the place in person before you pay anything.
Keep the conversation in Roomie until you have met.
Someone pushing to move to WhatsApp, text or email straight away is a warning sign. It takes the conversation somewhere we cannot see it or act on a report about it.
Check the listing for a Verified address badge.
It means the poster used their phone's location to confirm where the place is. Depending on where you are looking it may say Location Confirmed or Location Verified instead. It confirms the location, not the person: it does not prove they own the place, have the right to rent it, or that the photos are real.
Check their profile for a Verified badge.
On the iPhone it sits next to their name, and on the website it says Photo verified. It means they sent us a selfie that our team reviewed. It is a good sign that they are a real person, but it is still not a reason to pay for a place you have not seen.
See the place in person before you pay anything.
If you truly cannot get there, a live video walkthrough where they open doors and point the camera out of the window is the minimum. Pre-recorded videos and photos can be copied from a real listing.
Pay only once you have seen the place and have a written agreement.
Never pay by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency or a payment app that sends money to a stranger. Money sent those ways is very hard to get back.
Report anyone who asks for money up front.
In the iPhone app, open their profile, tap the three dots in the top right and tap Report. On the website, open their profile and choose Report at the bottom. Describe what they asked for. The person is not told who reported them.
Be wary of anyone who asks for a deposit, application fee or first month's rent before you have seen the place, or offers to mail you the keys. A real landlord or roommate wants to meet who is moving in.
A landlord who is abroad, travelling for work, and cannot show you the place, is one of the most common scam stories there is. So is rent far below everything else nearby.
Never send your Social Security number, bank details or a photo of your ID to someone you have not met, however official the reason sounds.
If a safety warning appears at the top of a chat, a message in that conversation was flagged as possibly suspicious. Slow down and read it again before you reply.
In the iPhone app, the real Roomie Support account always shows an Official badge next to its name. Anyone else claiming to be from Roomie in a chat is not.
For a first meet-up, pick somewhere busy and public, and tell a friend where you will be.
In the iPhone app, the info button in the top right of the Messages tab opens a short Staying Safe checklist you can come back to any time.
Still stuck? Get in touch and we'll help.