FAQ - Roommates.ca - Canada Roommates Rooms Shared Accommodation Homestay

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Roommates Library - Useful Articles, Roommate Agreements and Helpful Lists.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What does it cost to become a member?
2. How do I become a Basic Member?
3. What is the difference between a Basic and PREMIUM Member?
4. How do I upgrade to become a PREMIUM Member?
5. Why should I become a PREMIUM Member?
6. Why use Roommates.ca?
7. How do I place a listing profile?
8. How can I get in touch with potential roommate matches?
9. Does Roommates.ca protect its members’ privacy?
10. Does Roommates.ca use cookies?
11. Does Roommates.ca have recurring (monthly) charges?
12. What does Roommates.ca do to guarantee security?
13. What do I do if I forget my user name and password?
14. How do I log in?
15. How long will my profile remain active?

1. What does it cost to become a member?

Basic membership of the site is FREE. As a basic member you can post your profile, search for roommate matches, and send & receive an interest message with potential candidates. Basic members can upgrade at anytime to Premium Member status by choosing one of the available plans -1 Day, 10 Days or 60 Days. Becoming a PREMIUM Member will provide you with access to all features at Roommates.ca for the term of your plan.

2. How do I become a Basic Member?

No credit-card information is required. You simply click on the sign-up tab on the home page and create a profile. If you do not have, or do not want to post a picture, there is a library of avatars (standard images) you can use in place of a photo.

3. What is the difference between a Basic and PREMIUM Member?

Upgrading to PREMIUM membership gives you access to all features of the site including:

The ability to send and reply to Roommate messages and connect with roommates.
Access to extensive articles and resources such as sample roommate agreements, moving checklists and other related articles.
The ability to see detailed Roommate profiles and additional pictures in listings.

4. How do I upgrade to become a PREMIUM Member?

Once you have created a profile as a Basic Member, simply click on the UPGRADE button and choose a plan. Our most popular plans are the 30 Day and 60 Day plans.

If you just want to try out full-access membership, you can try a 1-Day plan for only $5.

5. Why should I become a PREMIUM Member?

PREMIUM Members have access to all of Roommates.ca's services. This includes viewing, sending and replying to all messages to and from other members. You will be able to view comprehensive member profiles, including full photos and all profile details.

You will have access to the Roommates Library with extensive articles including roommate agreements, moving checklists and other helpful articles.

6. Why use Roommates.ca?

Roommates.ca makes it easy for you to find a compatible roommate and/or place to live. The benefits include:

Automated matching system that saves you from wading through unwanted listings.
FREE to list, browse, and send messages to potential candidates.
Upgrading to Premium Membership allows you to send detailed messages and reply to messages.
Tremendous exposure for your postings.
Pre-Screen potential roommates efficiently without numerous 'showings'' and interviews.
The ability to 'turn off' your profile when you find a roommate.

7. How do I place a listing profile?

Click on the Sign-Up tab on the Home-Page.

You'll enter a Nickname and the nearest cross-streets, not the exact address, to protect your privacy. Neither Basic not Premium Members can see your real name, telephone number or email address unless you email it to them. After your ad has been posted, it may be reviewed by our customer-service center for appropriate content before being made available for viewing. Usually within 24 hours, other Members will have access to view it. All Members can contact you as soon as your listing is viewable. You can start browsing for potential roommates immediately.

Roommates.ca's automatic matching service will contact you with possible matches and continue to send you new matches as new members join.

8. How can I get in touch with potential roommate matches?

EASY! You can list for free and wait until potential matches contact you, or you can sign-up to browse and contact potential roommates.

9. Does Roommates.ca protect its members’ privacy?

YES! Roommates.ca does not post its members' names, addresses, phone numbers, or e-mail addresses. The service is designed so you choose who you share your information with. We do not keep or store any credit card info - all payment information is handled through PayPal.

10. Does Roommates.ca use cookies?

YES. The Roommates.ca web site has cookies, but you have the option of using them or not. Note: a cookie is a piece of data stored on the user's hard drive containing information about the user. When the user closes their browser, the cookie terminates. Cookies are helpful on Roommates.ca because they remember passwords, which allows the user to only have to enter their password once for convenience.

If a user rejects the cookie, they can still access the site. However, they will not have complete access to all areas, because some areas require cookie usage.

11. Does Roommates.ca have recurring (monthly) charges?

NO. Unlike some roommate-matching website services, Roommates.ca does not use negative-billing schemes or monthly subscription or recurring charges. You buy a listing for a 1, 30 or 60 day term - much like a classified ad - and that's it. You will not be billed again unless you extend your listing by purchasing another plan.

12. What does Roommates.ca do to guarantee security?

MUCH. Our server equipment is located behind firewalls in a high-security data-centre with 24X7 security personnel, restricted card-access, security camera monitoring, man-trap and complete power and internet connectivity redundancy and back-up systems.

Hacker-Safe: Our sites are tested everyday with the same security-service used by other leading websites - HackerSafe - to probe for any newly discovered security-threats. Our technicians work with the security-specialists at Hacker-Safe on a regular basis to learn and implement the best practices, updates and adjustments to ensure the very highest standards of security are maintained.

We store your name, telephone, email, postal-code and cross-streets in your profile in our database. The only other personal-information that may be on our servers is information that you have sent through the Roommates internal email system. With the nature of the internet, and so many interconnected systems, it is impossible to provide an iron-clad and absolute guarantee for security of the data on our servers. We have, however, gone to great lengths to ensure that our equipment, systems and your data are secure as possible.

If you have questions that are not addressed here, please do not hesitate to contact us at: support@roommates.ca

We do not store or handle any financial data - all of this is handled through PayPal - a global payment processing service with world-class-security standards.

13. What do I do if I forget my user name and password?

Go to the login section on the Home-Page, click on forgot password and we'll send your user name and password via e-mail.

14. How do I log in?

You must first be a FREE Basic Member or paid Premium Member.

Then, on the home-page, simply enter your username and password to Login.

15. How long will my profile remain active?

When your plan expires (1, 30 or 60 Days) or when you choose to deactivate (turn-off) your profile. The system is set up so you have control on how long your account remains active.