Renting safely
Listings go live when submitted; a Verified badge means we have confirmed the owner and details. That still leaves things only you can check — here's the short list.
The one rule
Never pay anything before you have seen the place in person. No token amount, no "blocking" fee, no advance to hold a bed. Anyone insisting otherwise is not someone you want to rent from.
Visit before you decide
Photos age. Go at a normal hour, see the actual room you'd get — not the show room — and check the washroom, kitchen and water pressure yourself.
Meet the owner, not just a caretaker
Ask who owns the property and speak to them. If you're only ever passed to a "manager" who won't put you in touch with the owner, treat that as a warning.
Get the numbers in writing
Rent, security deposit, notice period, what the deposit gets deducted for, and whether electricity, water, WiFi and meals are included. A WhatsApp message confirming it is better than nothing; a signed rent agreement is better still.
Pay in a traceable way
UPI or bank transfer, to an account in the owner's name, with a receipt. Cash with no record is how deposits vanish.
Never pay brokerage
Nobody on this platform is allowed to charge you brokerage, a finder's fee, a token amount or a "registration charge" — not us, not the owner, not a "caretaker" acting for them. If someone asks, report it. We ban the account, remove every listing they have, and they cannot sign back in.
Warning signs
- Rent well below everything else in that sector, with pressure to decide today.
- An advance demanded before a visit, or before you've met anyone in person.
- The owner won't share the full address until you've paid.
- Photos that look like a hotel listing, or the same photos on several listings.
- Refusal to give anything in writing.
- A number that never picks up, and only WhatsApp text in reply.
Questions worth asking on the call
- Is the rent inclusive of electricity and water, or metered separately?
- What exactly is the deposit, and under what conditions is it not returned?
- What's the notice period if I leave early?
- Are there gate timings or guest restrictions?
- How many people share the room and the washroom?
- Is there a power backup, and does it cover the room or just the corridor?
What we can and can't do
We confirm the owner and listed details by phone before adding a Verified badge, and we remove listings that turn out to be wrong. We are a discovery platform — we are not a party to your rental agreement, we don't hold your deposit, and we can't recover money you've already paid. That's why the rule at the top matters.
Something went wrong?
If a listing doesn't match reality, someone asked you for brokerage, or you think a listing is fake — report it. We check every report and take listings down the same day when they don't hold up.