Shared Housing Search Sites
TIPS: When searching for shared housing opportunities on the Internet, err on the side of caution. Do not provide personal information such as your last name, phone number, full address or private email in your initial post or listing on a roommate search website. Instead, create a dummy email address (e.g., using Gmail or another service) and provide this email address in your listing. Use this email address or the website’s messaging system to communicate with potential housemates about your housing search. In addition, when meeting a potential housemate for the first time, meet the individual in a public place such as a coffee shop, recreation center, mall or other place where there are others present. When you visit his/her home for the first time, bring a friend, family member or support person with you.
http://apartments.oodle.com has a search function that allows you to select roommate rentals.
www.easyroommate.com enables searches by roommate criteria and housing characteristics. Results are displayed in a list which you can sort depending on how old the ads are, the rent cost, date available or zip code.
Housing & Community Services of Northern Virginia (www.hcsnv.org) posts a list of weekly affordable rental vacancies in Northern Virginia. Click on “Browse Our List of Rental Housing” and scroll down to find the shared living/room to rent listings.
www.roomiematch.com involves completing a 15-20 minute Q&A survey about what you’re looking for, where, when and with whom. The service emails you matches based on your information. You must pay an annual membership fee to contact potential matches.
www.RoommateLocator.com is a free, simple online service that allows you to search for roommates by location, price range and certain features in an accommodation (e.g., smoking or pets allowed). Users can send a message to a landlord or member to ask for more details.
www.RoommateNation.com permits users to submit a profile including the kind of property they are looking for and their lifestyle choices/preferences. Users can then search for a room or a member who needs a room, the location of a room, price range, and gender and smoking preferences. A one month membership upgrade allows users to view more extensive profiles and to send and receive messages.
www.roommates.com allows members to search for roommates or accept matching suggestions. Users complete profiles that focus on location and price range, as well as a description of themselves and the kind of person they would like to live with. Users who pay the membership fee can view complete member profiles and photos, comments and maps. Users also have access to RoomMail, which gives you a way to send and receive messages with other members without using your private email.
www.Roommates4You.com is a free service which allows individuals to post an advertisement about themselves or a room they have to rent. There is no sign up system to just search for rooms or individuals that are available. Users can add contact information to the advertisement or contact other users through the roommates4you message system. Search options are based primarily on location and price range, and results can be filtered by date they were posted.
www.roomster.com asks users a variety of important questions to help match them with like-minded people (e.g., time they wake up, their profession, the amount of time they spend in the house, their hygiene and cleanliness levels). Searches and matches are based primarily on location and rental costs, each of which can be altered at any time to adjust your results. Users can sort by a number of variants. Non-paying members can send messages to other members, but not read their replies. Users can send contact details in that initial email, but this is risky since users don’t know other members yet. Upgrading membership opens up options and allows users to read and receive messages, and provides a more detailed look at members’ likes, dislikes and habits.