How to Find a Room on RoomieFinder
Finding a room on roomiefinder is free and easy. Here are our tips and tricks to make your search easier.
Create your room wanted listing
Everyone is required to have a listing on Roomies, this increases the trust in the community and makes it much simpler to narrow down the right room and roommate matches for you. Having a listing also increases the response rate you receive when you communicate with other members.
Tip: Standing out from the crowd with a few details about who you are, what you like doing, and why you make a good roommate. A photo adds trust and also means your listings will be nearer to the top of the search results. Remember there is a roommate for everyone, so be yourself include the information you would like to know about a potential roommate.
To prevent spam and scams, you cannot include phone numbers, email addresses, social media handles or links to other websites in your listing. However, it is free to communicate through our secure messaging system, and as long as you follow our community standards, there are no restrictions on the content you can include.
Tip: Verify your social media account adds trust for other members. This can be done from your account or listing. When you are verifying, you can set your social account to private, and we will not provide a public link to other users.
Search for rooms that match you
For the privacy of our members, you need to be a logged-in member to contact listings. This ensures that our security systems can remove inappropriate users and maintain a safer community. Roomies not only shows your listing in your search area but also provides a list of rooms nearby, so you don’t miss out on that fantastic home just because it is a few miles away. You can get started by looking for rooms near you.
Tip: Don’t just contact one listing, contact all the listings that could work for you. The best rooms are always competitive so avoid disappointment by having some backups you can contact and view.
Don't miss your latest matches
So you don’t miss out on the best new rooms Roomies sends you email alerts when new members join the site which could be suitable for you. Alerts can be adjusted or turned off in account settings.
We also provide you with a list of potential matches on your dashboard.
Communicate with other members
Communicating on Roomies is free, and we strongly recommend using our secure messaging system which protects your privacy and keeps all your inquiries in one place. It also allows you to communicate without revealing your personal contact details upfront. You can do this later when comfortable with the members you are chatting with.
Tip: The messaging system will also show you if your messages have been successfully delivered and if the other members have read them. We send SMS alerts to let members know when they receive a new message.
To communicate with other members you need to verify your mobile phone if you have not done this already you can click the link on your dashboard.
Tip: Where available, mobile numbers can be accessed by verified members on listings and from the messaging system. If you want to keep your number private you can do this when you verify or in account settings.
As long as you comply with our community charter, you can send any information you wish through the messaging system. This includes information which is not allowed in listings such as phone numbers, email addresses, social media handles and links to other websites.
Tip: As well as asking questions, make sure you include information about yourself as your potential roommates will also be interested in working out how you would fit into their household.
Ask for a viewing
Viewing the room and meeting the roomies is very important, it helps to determine if your future roommates are genuine and people you want to live with. It also means you can inspect the property to make sure it is somewhere you will be comfortable living.
It is strongly recommended to view in person, however, if you cannot do this then make sure you arrange a live video tour of the property on Skype, Hangouts or FaceTime and meet the potential roomies.
Tip: Never ever transfer a deposit or any other payment to a person you have not met or a property you have not viewed. If you are feeling nervous about the inspection or meeting someone for the first time, then there is no problem in taking a friend along.
Come to an agreement
If you like the place and want to move in it is very important to agree on
details such as deposit, rent, move in date, bills, house rules, length of
stay etc etc. Roomies strongly advises getting this in writing (even if it is
just an email) before you pay any money so there are no misunderstandings later. Roomies provides a free Roommate Agreement.
Moving In
Now the hard work is complete it is time to move in… Make sure you arrange to come and collect the keys on the move in day and find out if there are any parking restrictions, loading bays or building rules which might affect your move in.
Tip: It may take a few hours, days or weeks to feel at home in your new place, so make sure you socialize in those early days and ask questions. Taking the time to get to know each other can make a huge difference in the long run making sure everyone is comfortable living together.
