Help Center

You read the word “free” but still assume that there must be a catch? Tsk tsk. It is absolutely FREE to:

  • Register and become a member.
  • Post an absurd number of listings. Somewhere between 5,000 and a googol last time we counted.
  • Access complete information for ALL listings– no ifs, ands, or clickbait. We want our users to succeed, not feel like they just joined a secret society.
  • Send and receive messages with other members.

If you’re looking for “the catch,” we’ll just come right out and say that there are optional “Listing Upgrades.” We offer “Featured,” “Bold,” and “Top Placement” upgrades for a low fee to increase your exposure.

Registration is a breeze! We value your privacy and only require your first name (or an alias) and a valid email address. However, if you register using Facebook Connect, your account will also be supplied with your family name and a few basic bits of profile information. No one will see your cat videos on our site.

If you jumped right in and started posting a listing before registering, worry not. You will be prompted to login or register at the end of the listing process.

Although we do not require sonnets of personal information to use BDRM.com, you might want to provide business information, phone numbers or social media profile links so that interested parties can get a better idea who they are dealing with. That’s great! But please keep in mind that any details you choose to share will be just as accessible to internet trolls as they are to ideal prospects.

Yes, yes, there are plenty of property listing websites. Now that we’ve addressed the elephant in the room, here’s why you should use BDRM.com:

  • The whole process is absolutely free!… Says everyone. But there’s usually a catch. Another service might make you pay based on the number of listings, the duration posted, or the amount of people you’re contacting or being contacted by. Not us. We provide an all inclusive service for only five payments of $0.00!
  • No time limits. As long as you renew, for free of course, you’ll expire before your listing does.
  • No listing limits. Unless you start renting out your cupboards.
  • Easy and powerful filters. Easily find the yin to your yang.
  • Privacy. We allow you to decide how much information is appropriate. Hackers are an incredibly thrifty bunch. If someone were to break open our jar o’ user data, we want to make sure you’d be okay with whatever spills out.
  • On-site messaging. You choose whether (if at all) to include your email, digits and zodiac sign within the private message. Inquiries will be forwarded to your email and you can respond through your account or continue the conversation directly off-site if you prefer. Unless, of course, you’re a Taurus. They never respond.

We understand that you want a perfect roommate as badly as you want a complimentary futon, and that the best way to acquire both is to provide detailed information about exactly who you are and what you are looking for! However, please keep in mind that, although the Fair Housing Act provides some gender preference exemptions in shared “common area” situations, it is is against the law to advertise preference for or base a decision on protected classifications. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure your listing is in compliance with any federal, state or local regulations. Under no circumstances are you allowed to advertise a preference based on the following federally protected categories:

  • Race
  • Color
  • Religion
  • National Origin
  • Handicap / Disability
  • Familial Status

Many states have additional restrictions, such as discrimination based on age or income source, so be sure to read up on your state and local laws before posting a listing with restrictive and potentially discriminatory criteria. We all bleed the same color, brother.

We keep required registration information to a bare minimum because we take your privacy very seriously. All it takes to become a member is a valid email address and first name!
The only registration information made public is your first name (or alias). We won’t share any other information collected during registration unless we’re complying with a legal request.

Sharing additional personal or professional information, such as a public email address, phone number, profile picture and links to social media accounts, is entirely optional. A more complete profile may add credibility and transparency, but we leave it to each member to decide for themselves what info they want made public. However, bear in mind that any information you add under account settings or within an individual listing can be seen by anyone viewing your listing on our site (or possibly even on third party sites via syndication).

Unless you specifically choose to add contact information to your profile to receive direct communication, all inquiries and replies from other members will be made through our private messaging system, with an email notification from us asking you to login and reply. If you decide that you want to continue the conversation directly and share your phone number or email address (or contact them via info they provide), that is your choice. But, for those that wish to keep the dialogue anonymous, our messaging system will allow you to get a better read on the other person before sharing your personal contact information. “Favorite color” is always a safe start.

Location information: Providing a general location in your listing will help prospects find the right match when they’re all about the local vibe… But, we want to protect your– yep, you guessed it– privacy at the same time. We achieve that by:

  • Only requiring a city, state and zip code.
  • Option to conceal your exact location. When placing a listing, you will select your location using a Google Places Autocomplete field. However, if you check the box “Please offset my location and do not expose my street  address”, your true location will be offset and displayed using a circle instead of an exact pin and your listing details page will not include the street address. We let every Waldo decide for himself how easy he is to find.           

Please keep in mind that, despite our privacy precautions, your exact location isn’t officially off the map. Approximated location, description and images with identifying characteristics make absolute privacy an unfortunate impossibility.

Excellent question– We love when our users are clever and careful. If you or a trusty sidekick cannot visit a place in person, we recommend exercising caution before committing to a lease or paying fees. Please reading our “Common Scams” section to help you identify the most frequent and dangerous swindles.

When it is time to “get down to brass tacks,” it is up to you and the other party to decide on the best way to seal the deal. Ideally, you will be able to meet in person… But a solid shake isn’t everything. Make sure everything is legitimate and that you are covered in the event of fraud or theft. We recommend using an escrow service to hold your up-front costs until all parties are in agreement.

Here’s the sad truth: We live in a dangerous age, compounded by the ease with which nefarious characters can mislead, take advantage of, or abuse others by using false identities and information. Just because the member’s teeth sparkle on their social media does NOT guarantee this person is truly who they claim to be. ALWAYS stay safe. Take someone with you for the initial meeting or at least tell friends or family where and when you’re going. Do your best to verify their identity by messaging them via their provided social media accounts or doing a video chat, and so on.

This same warning applies when listing information about yourself and the rental space. Keep in mind that ANYONE, member or not, can see that information and potentially use it to find out more about you, send limited-offer pyramid schemes outside of BDRM.com or even stop by for an unexpected visit.

Listings with the most photos and comprehensive data are posted directly on our website by nifty users like you. But, to expand your options, we also display additional listings from third parties.

Anyone can post a listing here, which is all fine and dandy until your property listing gets buried in the basement when it “should” be in the penthouse suite. To help maximize your listing’s exposure, we recommend:

  • Share it on other sites. Spread the news. We offer several convenient ways to share your property listings on sites like Facebook, Instagram and Craigslist from within your account and on the listing page itself). Your account also has it’s own “RSS Feed”, which you can use to automatically post your listings to the social media page you desire. pssst You should also take advantage of our “Signs & Flyers” feature, which helps you print copies of your listing to display on those trendy coffee shop bulletin boards.Using the Listing Upgrades. Yikes. Too markety? Here’s the thing– every listing service needs a sorting mechanism. While our system is entirely free to use, we believe in the importance of enhancement opportunities so we’re offering you some digital jazz hands to flaunt your listing on stage.
  • Take the time to answer all the questions provided. Think of it like a dating website. It DOES require time, but answering every question during listing placement will help viewers find your listing as they filter through results. Attract the one, don’t get filtered out.
  • Include at least one photo. Snazzy titles alone like “Not your grandmother’s apartment”, “Best you’ll ever find” and  “Where dreams come true” just won’t cut it. Listings with at least one photo catch significantly more attention from viewers. As the old adage one day might say, “if you are fishing for eyeballs, a good pic is the best bait”

Your choice. This isn’t your average networking happy hour. We offer an on-site, member-to-member messaging system for your privacy and convenience. If you want to display personal or professional contact information publicly, so that anyone (member or anonymous viewer) can contact you directly, by all means. Just go into My Account → Account Details and open the pearly cellphone gates.

We’ve recently started providing the option for members to list vacation properties/space shares with an availability calendar and flexible nightly rates. Just don’t put a plastic palm tree over your sofa and call it the tropics. Keep in mind that we do not (currently) act as the “middle man” and facilitate payments. This may change in the future but, for now, all transactions are to be set up directly between members.

Understanding Your Account Settings

Our dream is that you’ll never have to check the FAQ for help with navigation. But, if you do find yourself squinting and arbitrarily clicking, here are some basic functions:

If you want to guarantee that friends & fam know about your listing (or maybe prove to an ex that you really are, finally, moving on to a new city) you can post your listing directly to your Facebook page, or anywhere else that accepts RSS Feeds, by:

  • Copying & pasting your personal “Facebook RSS Feed” URL listed in your account: My Facebook Feed
  • Adding the URL to your current RSS feed list within your Facebook account etc.

Easily admire all of your currently active listings and click on “Manage this Listing” to:

  • Share it: Loud & Proud on Twitter, Craigslist, Facebook, Reddit and so on.
  • Upgrade: It’s never too late to get a facelift. You can add one or all of the available upgrades at any time. Your listing will also “start over” so that you can take full advantage of the upgrade.
  • Edit: Add, remove or modify any of your current answers, your description, location or photos. Maybe the shot of you doing a keg stand at your high school reunion was too much?
  • Delete: You can get out of dodge whether your place is rented or not. Please keep in mind that there are no refunds for any listing upgrades or other costs.
  • Copy: This one’s perfect for posting multiple, similar listings. Just “copy” your current listing to start copying information to a new listing and edit as necessary.
  • Mark as Rented: If you want to keep your already rented property in the limelight for additional exposure and links to other listings, mark it as Rented instead of deleting it.
  • View Statistics: View the relevant statistics for each individual listings, including the number of:
    • Views overall
    • Messages received
    • Forwards to other people (Cool, FREE exposure!)
    • People that have marked it as a “Favorite”

Check out your recently expired listings and click on “Manage this Listing” to:

  • View: Take a peak at what was posted.
  • Copy to new listing: Save time posting a similar listing by modifying a copied template.
  • Delete: A listing is no longer viewable to the public when it’s expired, but you can also remove the evidence entirely.

Here’s the networking social of our listing platform. Click on who the message is From/Sent To for more information about the other member, click on the “Message” to view it or “Delete” to permanently remove the message.

This is where you can view all listings marked as “favorite.” Favoritism is encouraged here.

View your current filters or add a new one. Select the category, location and specific keywords that you want to filter for and how often you would like to receive email alerts for matches.

Here is where you can view and edit all of the information you are willing to share publicly, including that declining high school punk band of yours. At anytime, you can change:

  • Your personal information
  • Your business contact information, including a public email, phone number, and website
  • Your profile picture.
  • Link to your Facebook account. If you link accounts you can use the “login with Facebook” feature and automatically display your Facebook profile picture as well.
  • View your Freebies. Remember these guys? They let you apply “Listing Upgrades” to your current or new listings… for FREE!

We will spare the cliche but, let’s face it, including quality photos of your indoor hammock, breathtaking sunset view and (if you’re searching for a roommate) good-natured face are the best ways to market your property or space. For the best display, we highly recommend using photos in LANDSCAPE format. Including photos is free and can also save you from a slew of questions down the line– except, perhaps, where you bought that shirt.

Avoid getting sidelined by those who are trigger happy on the filters. Remember, they won’t have a chance to be lured in by your incredibly well-written description until they have filtered results based on criteria that is important to them…. We wouldn’t want a perfect match to miss your nonspecific “private bedroom/pretty nice/must-clean-dishes” roommate listing.

In other words….. “Sell it, baby!” Make sure that your listing description presents the property, and yourself, in the best light possible without lying or being misleading. Engage readers by playing up the strong points, of course, but don’t claim that the yellow paint is solid gold. Save you and your counterpart both time and trouble by being honest from the get-go.

Even the most shakespearean descriptions can be passed over if your listing gets lost in the library. Keep your masterpiece from falling to the wayside by promoting it with one or more of the possible listing upgrades.

You posted the perfect ad. But don’t just sit back and wait— PROMOTE your listing by:

  • Liking it on Facebook and other social media platforms via the links on the listing details page. Or, from within your account, click on the “Share It” option to post the listing on the social media sites of your choice.
  • Using the RSS feed available in your account to post the listing to Facebook.
  • Printing old school hard-copies of your listing to hang around town by using the “Signs & Flyers” option. We hear they also make great gift wrap.

Avoid Scams and Fraud

We want your experience on BDRM.com to be as successful and safe as possible. Whether in your interactions with others here or offsite, we can’t stress it enough: stay safe and be wary of fraudulent tricks and “opportunities” that are, as they seem, too good to be true. Although it is impossible to list all the tricks and scams out there, below is a list of the most common ones in regards to finding a place to share or rent.

Fantastic price! Jump at the opportunity! Quick, before the world comes to an end! When you see this, run. As the saying goes, “if it seems too good to be true, it IS.” Resist the natural inclination to flock towards steals and deals. If their “explanations” or refusal/inability to show you the place has your Spidey senses tingling, stop all communications with the other party and report the listing.

Practice a suspicious eye squint. Be very wary of “out of town” landlords and people searching for a new roommate that are unable to meet you in person, or perhaps even talk on the phone. And do not be fooled by someone that WILL talk on the phone and appears to have a local number, because in this day and age you can get an online number and “appear” to be just about anywhere. Contact them via their social media profiles, research them personally (and any alleged business) online and make contact directly.

If someone requests for the deposit and/or first month’s rent to be sent in advance using Western Union, Money Gram, cashier’s check etc., click on that “Report” button and turn on your heels! While these services themselves are not fraudulent, they are a common way for scammers to get non-refundable money from unsuspecting people that are willing to believe, and do, almost anything to avoid missing out on that infamous “too good to be true”.

Better is to make your transactions in person, or through a well-established company in good standing with the Better Business Bureau that specializes in lease/rent/deposit transactions and offers comprehensive consumer protection.

This can be a very misleading tactic, where someone sends a check, cashier’s check or online payment but “accidentally” sends too much! Oh no, now they can’t afford to feed little Jimmy! They then request a partial refund for the difference, usually via (you guessed it!) Western Union or wire transfer. Don’t fall for it. This “oversight” was almost certainly intended to empty your wallet! They are taking advantage of trusting people who deposit a check and believe that the bank’s accepting the check for processing proves it was a valid check… not the case! It can take a bank three weeks to process and verify a check and, if you send the “refund,” you will most likely discover later on that the check has bounced, the cashier’s check was a fake or the online payment was disputed and cancelled.

If someone claims they have sent too much, suggest applying the extra towards the next months rent or giving the partial refund in person when they move in. Then wink with that wise old Sherlock charisma.

Here’s a clever one: They pretend they’re nervous about you .They might request you send money to yourself via Western Union or something similar in order to “prove” you have the funds necessary. Seems reasonable and safe enough, right? It is, until they make a fake I.D. and pick up the money sent in your name! Jeepers creepers. Do NOT fall for this trick and REPORT the incident for fraud and identity theft!

Report Potential Scam and Fraud Listings

We do our best to take down fraudulent listings and scams, but the best way to keep BDRM.com safe is for users to whistleblow in the face of injustice. Use the “Report” button on the listing details page or via our Contact Us page.

Report Online Fraud

If you suspect or have already become a victim of online fraud, report the incident immediately to your local law enforcement authorities. Additionally, you should also consider contacting the following agencies that deal with online fraud:

Report Identity Theft

If you believe that your personal and/or financial information has been revealed to (or stolen by) a person who might use it inappropriately, visit the Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft website for important information about protecting yourself.

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