🔍 Finding a Room or Roommate

No account needed to browse. Use the search page to filter by location, rent, room type, and lifestyle preferences.

1

Search by location

Enter a city or town name on the search page or homepage. You can also browse by state or city from the Cities page.

2

Filter results

Narrow by rent range, room type (private, shared, entire place), move-in date, furnishing, pets, smoking policy, and gender preference. Toggle between list view and Map view using the buttons at the top of results.

3

Check compatibility

If you and the poster have both completed the compatibility quiz, a match percentage appears on the listing card — helping you prioritize the best fits before you reach out.

4

Contact the poster

Click a listing and send a message. You need a free account for this step. After your first message the conversation moves into your inbox where you can chat in real time or start a video call.

Tip: The "Active today" green dot on a listing card means the poster logged in within the last 24 hours — a good signal that you'll get a fast reply.

📋 Posting an Ad

Free, takes about 3 minutes. Ads stay live for 60 days and can be renewed with one click.

1

Create a free account

Sign up with your email. Email verification is required before your ad goes live.

2

Choose your listing type

Select "I Have a Room" if you're offering a room, or "I Need a Room" if you're looking. You can also post a joint listing with a partner — two people looking for an apartment together.

3

Fill in the details

Add your location, rent, room type, available date, amenities, lifestyle tags, and a description. Aim for at least 100 words — detailed listings get 3–5× more responses.

4

Upload photos

Up to 10 photos per listing. Listings with photos receive significantly more inquiries. JPG, PNG, GIF, and WebP supported, up to 10 MB each.

5

Publish and manage

Your ad goes live immediately. Manage it from your dashboard — edit details, swap photos, pause it, relist when it expires, or remove it. Removed ads are held for 30 days before permanent deletion so you can restore them if needed.

💬 Messaging & Real-Time Chat

All messaging is free. No limits, no paywalls, no unlocking replies.

1

Send your first message

On any listing page, click the contact button to send an initial message to the poster. Your message lands in their inbox instantly.

2

Continue in the thread

After the first exchange, the full conversation lives at Messages in the navigation. Each conversation is grouped by listing so nothing gets mixed up across multiple searches.

3

Real-time delivery

Messages appear instantly when both users are online — no page reload. You'll see a typing indicator ("typing…") while the other person is composing, and a double blue checkmark when they've read your message.

Tip: Message notifications appear as a badge on the Messages link in the navigation, and as an in-app notification (the bell icon). You can also enable email notifications for new messages from your profile settings.

📹 Video Calls

Free, browser-based video calling built directly into every message thread. No app download, no Zoom account, no cost.

1

Open a message thread

Go to Messages and open any conversation. You need at least one message exchanged first — the video call button lives inside the thread.

2

Tap "Video Call"

The green 📹 Video Call button is in the top-right corner of the chat header — next to the person's name. Tap it and confirm the prompt. The call room opens immediately in your browser.

3

The other person is notified

An in-app notification goes to the other person instantly, plus a join link is automatically posted as a message in the chat thread. They can join from any browser — desktop, tablet, or phone — by clicking that link.

4

During the call

Use the in-call toolbar to mute/unmute, toggle your camera, share your screen, turn on captions, or switch to tile view. A call duration timer appears at the bottom of the screen.

5

End the call

Click the red End Call button at the bottom of the screen. Both users are returned to the message thread. Calls also close automatically after 4 hours of inactivity.

Safety tip: Do a quick video call before meeting anyone in person. Scammers almost always refuse video calls — it's one of the fastest ways to confirm you're talking to a real person. If someone declines multiple requests without a good reason, treat it as a red flag. More safety tips →

Technical note: Video calls are powered by Jitsi Meet, a free open-source platform. Each call room has a unique unguessable name — only the two people in the thread can access it. No video data is stored on RoommateAds servers. Requires camera and microphone permission in your browser.

👤 Your Profile & Profile Strength

A complete profile gets 3–5× more responses. Your dashboard shows a profile strength score with specific tips on what to fill in next.

📷

Profile Photo

Upload a jpg, png, or gif (max 4 MB) on your Profile page. Auto-cropped to a square. Shows on your profile, messages, and listings.

📞

Real Name & Bio

Your legal first and last name (private, used for ID matching) and a public display name and bio. A bio describing your lifestyle dramatically increases response rates.

📱

Phone Number

Move-Out Terms

Notice period required, early termination rules, and what happens to the deposit.

🖶

Print-Ready

When finished, print directly from the browser — the UI chrome is hidden automatically for a clean letter-sized agreement page.

Open Agreement Builder

🔧 Other Free Tools

💰

Rent Splitter

Split rent equally, by room size, or by income. Handles utilities and shared costs. Open calculator

🚌

Commute Calculator

On any listing page, enter your workplace to see drive, transit, cycling, and walking times. Powered by OpenStreetMap.

🗺

Map Search

Switch to map view on search results to see listings as pins. Click a pin for a photo popup and rent. Open map

❤️

Favorites

Save any listing to your favorites for easy comparison later. Access at Favorites.

⭐ Roommate Reviews & Resume

Build a verifiable track record as a roommate. Reviews are prompted automatically after a partnership ends — no chasing required.

⭐

Automatic Review Prompts

30 days after a matched roommate connection ends, both parties get an optional prompt to rate and review each other. Anonymous option available.

📄

Roommate Resume

A shareable, printable profile card showing your bio, quiz answers by category, verification badges, star rating, and active listing. File → Print → Save as PDF in any browser. View yours

👥

Reviews on Profiles

Aggregate star ratings and review snippets appear on user profiles and listing cards — helping seekers prioritise trustworthy posters.

🛡

Verified + Reviewed

A user who is ID-verified and has positive reviews is the strongest trust signal on the platform — comparable to a reference check without the phone calls.

🎁 Invite Friends & Earn

Share your personal referral link. When a friend signs up through it, you both get a reward applied to your account.

🔗

Personal Referral Link

Find your unique link at referral.php or in the account menu. Share it anywhere — text, email, social.

🎁

Referral Rewards

When someone signs up through your link, you earn a reward credit applied automatically to your account — no claiming required.

📝 Move-In Condition Checklist

Fill it out with your landlord or roommate the day you move in. Both sign, both keep a copy. If there's a deposit dispute at move-out, this is your evidence.

📝

Room-by-Room Condition Report

Every surface covered — entry, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living areas, laundry, exterior. Each item has a Good / Fair / Poor / N/A dropdown and a notes field for specific damage.

🖶

Print or Save as PDF

No login required. Fill in the browser, hit File → Print → Save as PDF. Both parties keep a signed copy. Pre-fills address automatically if you open it from a listing page.

✍

Signature Lines

Printed form includes signature and date lines for both tenant and landlord. A signed checklist plus timestamped photos is the standard evidence in small claims court for deposit disputes.

💡

Deposit Law Reminder

Built-in tip reminds you of the deposit return timeline for your state (MA = 30 days, CA = 21 days, NY = 14 days) and what landlords can legally deduct for.

Open Move-In Checklist →

🏆 References

Ask a past landlord, roommate, or employer to vouch for you. Their response shows on your profile permanently. SpareRoom charges for this. Ours is free.

📧

Email-Based Request

Enter the referee's email from your References page. They get a link. They fill in a 2-minute form covering overall rating, reliability, cleanliness, and whether they'd recommend you.

⭐

Star Ratings + Comments

Referees rate you 1–5 on three dimensions plus a yes/no "would recommend." Comments are optional. They can post anonymously if they prefer.

📄

Shows on Profile & Resume

Responses appear on your profile page and your printable Roommate Resume. Aggregate scores are shown to potential roommates on listing cards.

💼 Income Verification

Add a trusted signal that you can pay rent. Human-reviewed, no credit check, no Plaid, no third-party account. Free.

📄

Upload a Document

Pay stub, offer letter, bank statement, or W-2. PDF, JPG, or PNG, up to 5 MB. Our admin team reviews it within 1–2 business days and deletes the file once a decision is made.

💼

💼 Income Verified Badge

Once approved, a badge appears on your profile and listings. Your actual income amount is never displayed publicly — only the badge.

🔒

Document Privacy

Your document is deleted from our servers immediately after the admin decision — approved or rejected. We never store financial documents long-term.

Verify Income →

📱 Install as an App (PWA)

RoommateAds is a Progressive Web App. Install it in one tap from your browser — no app store, no download, no storage cost.

📱

How to Install on iPhone

Open RoommateAds in Safari. Tap the Share button (box with arrow). Scroll down and tap "Add to Home Screen." Tap Add. Done — the app icon appears on your home screen.

🤖

How to Install on Android

Open RoommateAds in Chrome. Tap the three-dot menu. Tap "Add to Home Screen" or "Install App." The site installs instantly with its own icon and launches without browser chrome.

🔌

Works Offline

The service worker caches the app shell, CSS, and recently visited pages. If your connection drops, you can still browse cached listings and compose messages that send when you're back online.

🔔

Push Notifications

Once installed (or even just visiting the site), enable push notifications from your profile. You'll get alerts for new messages, listing expiry, and saved-search matches — even with the browser closed.

⚖ Housing Law & Tenant Rights

The RoommateAds chatbot is connected to BostonApartments.com's editorial repository of 7,000+ rental and housing law articles. Ask it anything about renter rights, lease law, or fair housing.

💬

Ask the Chatbot

Click the Help bubble (bottom-right on any page). Ask about security deposit limits, eviction rights, fair housing, lease breaks, rent control, subletting, or co-tenant liability. It gives factual answers sourced from BA's rental knowledge base.

📜

State-Specific Law

Covers MA, NY, CA, IL, DC, TX, FL, WA, OR, CO, and more. Deposit return timelines, rent increase rules, notice-to-quit requirements — answers vary by state and the chatbot knows the difference.

⚖

Fair Housing Act

The chatbot explains protected classes, what counts as discrimination, how to document it, and how to file a complaint with HUD (1-800-669-9777). It also covers state-level protections that go beyond federal law.

⚖

Information, Not Legal Advice

Chatbot answers are informational, drawn from published editorial content. For advice specific to your situation, consult a tenant rights organisation or attorney. Free legal aid is available in most states.

🛡 Safety Features

✅

ID Verification Badge

Green badge on listings and profiles. Face-matched to a government ID. Get verified

📹

Video Call Before Meeting

Use the built-in video call to confirm the person is real before any in-person meeting. Open any message thread to start.

🚩

Report a Listing

Every listing has a Report button. Reports are reviewed by our team within 24 hours.

🕵

Background Check Partners

We don't run checks ourselves, but link to screening partners on the background check page. The Verified badge is an ID-and-selfie match only — not a criminal check. See our Disclaimer.

Read Full Safety Tips

⚙ Managing Your Ads

Everything lives on your dashboard. Tabs for Active, Paused, Expired, and Removed listings.

⚙

Edit Anytime

Update rent, description, photos, or preferences at any time. Changes go live immediately.

▮

Pause & Resume

Pause an active listing to hide it from search without losing your data. Resume anytime.

↻

Relist Expired Ads

Expired listings appear in the Expired tab with a green "Relist Free" button that gives you another 60 days instantly.

🔀

Soft Delete & Restore

Deleted listings go to a Removed tab and are held for 30 days before permanent deletion. Hit Restore if you change your mind.

How RoommateAds Works

📚 On this page