Safety Reminders for Living Off Campus

It can be intimidating to live off campus for the first time. There are a lot of things that you need to consider, such as safety. The resources below will help you understand the safety concerns and how to make your living environment safe.

Housing Search Tips

Avoiding Scams & Fraud

The convenience of shopping online brings with it a heightened risk of scams and fraud. You should always be mindful and vigilant before providing anyone with your personal information or sending payment of any kind. We work hard to provide our users with a convenient and reliable source of rental listings and roommate profiles, but fraudsters are also working to scam users. When we work together, we can take steps to make our online marketplaces the safest they can be. Be aware we do not participate in any rental transactions and cannot refund your money if you are scammed. While we work continuously to ensure that you have a positive experience using our site, we cannot guarantee that our sites are 100% free from false or fraudulent listings.

roommates sitting on a couch

Roommate Safety Tips

Make sure that checks for the first month’s rent or utilities, etc. have cleared before processing refunds (e.g., someone sends you a $5,000 check to “secure” a rental and asks for $4,000 of it back). Note: processing international checks takes longer than domestic.

Posting

Don’t use your full name on the Internet (Your public name within the roommate section of the site defaults to your first name and last initial based on what you have entered in your user account information. You can change this to whatever you prefer.)
Be mindful of the fact that unintended viewers (such as a friend of someone who has a Roommate Profile) may be able to easily view your information.
Be especially careful about posting your exact location - feel free to use our Alternate Address option when filling out Property Location information.
Keep in mind that viewers may be able to find information about you elsewhere, so check your privacy settings on other social media sites.
Use a search engine to look for yourself online and see what information you can find. Remove any private information that you can, or ask whoever is responsible for the website to remove it for you.
Be careful about displaying your age online - feel free to unselect our Display my age on my profile box in the “Personal Info” section.

Emailing

Don’t open strange messages or email attachments. Even if you know someone, sometimes their accounts can post things that they don’t want. If a post or message doesn’t look like it’s from your friend, it probably isn’t.

Meeting in Person

Arrange a phone conversation before meeting in person. Call from a restricted number to mask your number.
Meet at a public place where you feel comfortable - never meet at a place of residence.
Meet in the daytime.
Tell a friend or family member what you are doing and where you are going. Arrange to call them when the meeting is over and/or when you are safely at home.
Consider bringing along a friend or two.
Be prepared to adjust your meeting plan or abandon it altogether if you feel uncomfortable at any point.
No matter how many times you have emailed or talked on the phone, if you haven’t met someone in person, consider them a stranger.
Have clarity of mind - don’t meet after a long day, after a party, etc.

Additional Safety Tips

Trust your instincts. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.
Use other social sites or search engines to find out more about potential roommates. Check that their information is consistent across multiple sites.
Use a computer with safe Internet browsers and virus protection.
Never give out banking information.
Be cautious of people who express a desire to rent/sublease your property without seeing it first.
Make sure that checks for the first month’s rent or utilities, etc. have cleared before processing refunds (e.g., someone sends you a $5,000 check to “secure” a rental and asks for $4,000 of it back). Note: processing international checks takes longer than domestic.
If you suspect Internet fraud, contact the police department.
If you haven’t met someone in person, consider them a stranger.
Have clarity of mind - don’t meet after a long day, after a party, etc.

Home Safety Tips