• HousingAnywhere

HousingAnywhere

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Overview

HousingAnywhere has a rating of 1.8 stars from 187 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about HousingAnywhere most frequently mention customer service, bad experience, and cancellation policy problems. HousingAnywhere ranks 7th among Student Travel sites.

  • Service
    55
  • Value
    51
  • Shipping
    31
  • Returns
    41
  • Quality
    48

This company responds to reviews on average within 10 hours

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 0%
Positive
0
Neutral
0
Negative
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141
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How would you rate HousingAnywhere?
Top Positive Review

“Great website for students”

Jeanette L.
11/2/17

Going on an exchange can be stressful, but Housing Anywhere makes finding a place to live easy and it takes hardly any time either. Depending on the city there are lots options, both with or without flatmates. I would recommend anyone to at least try finding something there!

Top Critical Review

“Deceitful, profit-driven, untrustworthy.”

Mateusz S.
9/7/24

Don't believe them. I ask them for help, follow their guidelines, and finally they tried to kick me out of place right away despite I have paid rent for a month. They are total tricksters and fraud oriented only for provision from booking.

Reviews (187)

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Reviews that mention popular keywords

room (57) exchange students (4) 48 hours (4)
Thumbnail of user alexa1018
Spain
1 review
1 helpful vote
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November 12th, 2021

I got a problem with my landlord and the only thing I got from them is "he has a strict cancelation",
They wiil not solve any problem to you, You can call them, sent an email... but nothing will be change.
I don't knwo why they have a support.
The worst experince ever..

Tip for consumers:
never trust this people

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Thumbnail of user yourn13
Portugal
1 review
2 helpful votes
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August 16th, 2022

I got a place through them, it was awful and expensive besides they don't accept kids. So you can find better options out there. I don't recommend their services.

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Thumbnail of user aurorac12
Denmark
1 review
0 helpful votes
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October 19th, 2017

It's easy to sign up and use the platform. They charge you a fee on the first month as safety - if the room is not what was being offered, you can have your full money back and find something else!

Thumbnail of user oliveru8
Argentina
1 review
6 helpful votes
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September 6th, 2022

Was charged additional fees by the landlord that weren't shown on housing anywhere. They refused to lift a finger to help. There are also no reviews that you can leave of the place itself

Thumbnail of user anettac
Thailand
1 review
10 helpful votes
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October 11th, 2019

Very bad experience. Tried to rent a student room in Rotterdam twice with them. The first time, the landlord changed the conditions of the rental after booking, we had to cancel and luckily, the money paid was returned. The second time, after moving in, their conditions allow to cancel within 48 hours, if the property does not correspond to the description. This was the case, "room" was extremely small - 6.31 square meters and also there was a passage right in front of the room - which was not explained at the point of renting. They neglected our request for cancelation and we lost 750 Eur! Their angent Pryia was very arrogant and ignorant. Beware- this agency supports scamming landlords and present them as excellent advertisers!

Thumbnail of user kleurjoem
Spain
1 review
0 helpful votes
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June 5th, 2023

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY! NOT TRUSTWORTHY
LANDLORDS AND COMPANY WILL CHEAT YOU!

WORST MISTAKE EVER.
The landlords on the website are able to ask for more money, so the initial price that you pay upfront for your stay is not what might be requested.

I was staying for 3 weeks and had to book a month minimum the landlord would accept. That was alright.

However after paying close to 700 euro upfront for a month's stay, I was being asked afterwards to pay over 1000 more.

The "landlord" wanted over 500 to keep on top and another 500 as deposit.

So why was the property advertised for the initial amount if there were additional payments to be made.

Also the website takes commision of at least 20 percent of the payment.

With that commission I would expect more protections for renters.

DO NOT USE THEM. WHEN I EXPLAINED HOW FRUSTRATING IT WAS NOTHING WAS DONE.

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Thumbnail of user alexh142
Germany
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 11th, 2016

Housing scams are very common these days. With HousingAnywhere I was able to do a very safe transfer of my money. I also love how easy it is to use the platform

Thumbnail of user chaimaea
Netherlands
1 review
0 helpful votes
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January 27th, 2017

Housing anywhere is a good option for international students who have trouble finding a home abroad, and the fact that it's safe through the secure booking system is just awesome against scams!

Thumbnail of user pauliusn
Netherlands
1 review
16 helpful votes
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October 31st, 2019

Please make sure you don't get into this situation as I did.
I found a room that was advertised by "Anne, 31" who has an excellent rating on HousingAnywhere. So I decided to send a message that I am interested. As a result HousingAnywhere also suggested to send the booking request straight away to increase a chance to get the room. "Anne 31" also asked for a booking request fast because many students wanted the room so it was not going to be free any longer. I trusted and sent the booking request. As a result I was charged 150 euro HousingAnywhere service fee and first month's rent.

After I was charged things started looking gloomy. Soon I received a message from "Anne, 31". I was asked to provide a copy of my ID and my address. I did it and soon I realized that my details were used without my knowledge to register me to another rental agency called "medici-living". I looked at the agency's reviews and found that it has a bad reputation, which completely changed my mind. If this information was available before I sent the booking request I would have never done it. I did not want to continue with the booking anymore because I felt cheated and the whole thing seemed very suspicious. I lost 150 euro because of the Housing Anywhere terms and conditions. I managed to receive a refund of first month's rent. But If I was 24 hours later. I would have lost month's rent too.

HousingAnywhere platform is misleading and suspicious. Who stops them from allowing tenants to rate advertisers like airBnB does? Be careful!

Thumbnail of user rawiai1
Canada
1 review
17 helpful votes
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April 18th, 2018

I dont suggest going with housingeverywhere. I got scammed with them. First of all, their advertisers are rude and their. Second of all, their policies are fake. I am a student from Canada and was looking for a place in Amsterdam and my i didnt have any options other than to go with housingeverywhere. I was not able to go to Amsterdam due to permit issues. The housingeverywhere policy is It is possible to cancel your booking within the first 24 hours after the payment is confirmed and receive the first month rent back. However, the service fee won't be refundable. If after those 24 hours there is no valid reason for your cancellation, the advertiser is still entitled to the first-month rent and the refund is not possible. I have a valid reason yet they refused to refund me my money. From the terrible experience I had with them, I dont recommend renting with them.

Thumbnail of user sof10
Germany
1 review
0 helpful votes
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July 5th, 2022

Please avoid this webside (better to have an rbnb). I had a bad experience with this website, the landlrod changed the conditions and obliged to sign a contract with condition the were not show up at the beginning and still housinganywhre did not care as they refused to refund me and telling me basically that they don't care. So for the landlord, i am not entitled of the room as i did not sign the contract but still housing anywhere refuse to refunds me.

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Thumbnail of user ivans358
Spain
1 review
3 helpful votes
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October 23rd, 2021

Hello! Beware of this portal! It is a fraud! I recently booked a room in Madrid. The announcement in the Portal stated that to reserve the room it was enough to deliver an advance monthly payment and € 150 of reservation commissions. I paid. Well, in the next step there was another portal or real estate agency, Smart Rental Living, which asked me for another two monthly payments, one for the deposit and one for an intermediary commission! Housing Anywhere Portal lacks of transparency, it is opaque and the information is poor and distorted. There are several companies involved, all of which asking for their Hello! Beware of this portal! It is a fraud! I recently booked a room in Madrid. The announcement in the Portal stated that to reserve the room it was enough to deliver an advance monthly payment and € 150 of reservation commissions. I paid. Well, in the next step there was another portal or real estate agency, Smart Rental Living, which asked me for another two monthly payments, one for the deposit and one for an intermediary commission! Housing Anywhere Portal lacks of transparency, it is opaque and the information is poor and distorted. Several companies involved, all of which asking for its commissions. I called to cancel the next day, two days before the rental started (!) I sent cancellation emails. They have not reimbursed me the amount paid, nor have they deigned to reply to the emails. Shameful! I am going to denounce all these bad practices. Beware of them! I hope this comment is useful to you. Thank you.

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Thumbnail of user mannyg63
Hungary
2 reviews
2 helpful votes
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September 20th, 2023
Verified purchase

Scam service. Bait and switch. The apartment they advertised was fake. Staged nice for photos. After the 2000 euro was paid, the apartment looked completely different. Old, dirty and ripped bed, toilet not working, power outages daily, fridge power went out randomly so food went rotten. No air conditioning in bedroom, air unit in main room broken and works randomly. There were no utensils, not even a bottle or can opener. No proper cooking items. Not even salt or letter. No dish rags. The microwave blows any power in apartment.
Nice furnishings in photos were all missing, no coffee maker as shown in photos. No carpet. Bed / pillow coverings. The wash machine does not work. The toilet flush handle is broken.
The building entrance is dirty and not safe. The main door is always open in a busy street.
If you are a non smoker, you should know the apartment door is located right in front of the buildings smoking area. Chairs and ashtrays around the apartment entrance door. See TikTok video.
HousingAnywhere misrepresents apartments. Once they get your commission, their service or communication stops. The are hyenas.
Stay away. Read the multiple poor ratings on legitimate websites.

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Thumbnail of user sarahw352
France
1 review
15 helpful votes
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September 10th, 2018

They cheat people, get lots of money in advance and never show the apartment before to pay. Probably that apartment only exists in pictures. Many students have informed the police against this platform for having been scammed
BE CAREFUL! DON´T PAY ANYTHING.

Thumbnail of user lenae26
Pennsylvania
1 review
3 helpful votes
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May 25th, 2022
Verified purchase

Communication with advertisers is frustrating and there is not much the account managers at HousingAnywhere can do to address the lack of communication and/or protect potential renters from changes in rental prices after an offer has been accepted. The first advertiser I interacted with accepted the offer and agreed to a change in the initial dates (due to my arrival flight getting canceled and rescheduled for one day later). But then without notice, he re-listed the property, rejected the offer that was initially accepted and re-listed the property as available but increased the monthly rate by 200 euros. The second advertiser sent multiple messages saying an offer would be sent w/in a few days (even when I asked if I should consider other offers out of fear the property wouldn't actually be available in time of for my arrival). After sending all the information about the listing and discussing next steps, he suddenly stopped responded for over 7 days and the property was suddenly listed as "not available." It is completely understandable that prices or status of availability changes quickly with properties but the lack of communication and/or communication of misleading information is incredibly frustrating and there is nothing HousingAnywhere can do to safeguard that part of the process.

Thumbnail of user alessandrod20
Italy
1 review
3 helpful votes
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November 2nd, 2017

My application for an accomodation at the Student Village was refused (there weren't enough spots) so my last chance was HousingAnywhere. I found out it's a cosy tool.

Thumbnail of user cianm10
Denmark
1 review
2 helpful votes
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April 14th, 2016

I have been on Erasmus last semester, I was seriously desperate for a room and the guys from customer care helped me a lot, as some advertisers were not replying on the website

Thumbnail of user julijav
Netherlands
1 review
1 helpful vote
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November 19th, 2017

Positive things:
1. Easy to use and understand
2. Helpful customer service

Negative things:
1. Sometimes there is a lack of choices in rooms

Other than that, pretty good website, safe to use.

Thumbnail of user trenam6
Idaho
1 review
13 helpful votes
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May 15th, 2020

They refuse to even budge on providing me a refund after my flight and all travel plans were canceled (and I lost my job) due to a freaking GLOBAL DISEASE PANDEMIC... I can't even get into the country where I booked my stay and they're basically just telling me "rules are rules, sucks to suck." What an absolute joke. If they aren't even remotely accommodating customers during a global crisis, I can't imagine how apathetic they are toward their customers during normal times. Find housing through other means - this company is garbage.

Thumbnail of user sushmitha.ramakrishnan13
Germany
1 review
1 helpful vote
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May 17th, 2023

Do not trust this website. They accept your booking and then cancel on you and do not offer refund. I am planning on going to the police, do not trust them.

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Thumbnail of user barbarab1024
Italy
1 review
14 helpful votes
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December 18th, 2019

A refund will not be given in other circumstances which include, but are not limited to: accommodation that is not according to taste; accommodation that is not in line with religious ideology (including living with people from another sex); accommodation that is not clean, accommodation that turns out to be in a less safe neighbourhood; accommodation that has noise complaints; accommodation is not suitable to the tenant because of medical reasons; accommodation has a minor malfunction that could not have been known in advance; the tenant is hindered in coming to the accommodation because of a change of plans, travel delays, illness or having made a double booking; the tenant fails to report the issue within the first 48 hours after the move-in date registered on the platform.

5. Housing Anywhere does NOT examine the legality, accuracy or completeness of offers published on the platform.

9. Each user must independently verify the identity of his/her respective contract partner (the tenant in case of the provider or the provider in case of the tenant).

So, why do they write "verified user", if you have to verify identity for yourself? And there is a long list of exceptions, which include almost everything that might go wrong with the room.
In the end, do ask yourself what service you are actually paying for... close to zero, none, nothing. And they do read your messages, in spite of all privacy rules!

Thumbnail of user abigaili
California
1 review
5 helpful votes
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August 15th, 2016

I have had a very bad experience listing my two bedrooms with Housing Anywhere. I have not been paid the first months rent from two different students. The first student moved in on the 23rd. Of July and it is now August 15 and I still haven't been paid. The second student moved in on August 1st and they haven't paid me his money either. I also rented a room to a student for summer school, who then decided to not attend summer school. She wrote to Housing Anywhere saying she would not be attending school, but they did not communicate this to me and I ended up losing the first month rent. There were no apologies. There have been many emails stating the problem with the money. And many excuses as to why I have not been paid, but excuses is all I receive. They also know that I have only two rooms for rent, yet they just wrote to me asking why I was not renting my rooms very poor internal communication. My ratings are from 1 to 10. Business organization and management 0, communication skills 0, dishonesty 10, though this may change if they ever decide to pay me.

Thumbnail of user matteol13
Netherlands
1 review
1 helpful vote
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March 3rd, 2016

I decided to go on exchange this last semester and I wanted to sublet my room to be able to pay with it my rent at my new destination. After browsing for a while I found Housing Anywhere, a website that allowed me to offer my room only to students who had student emails, which made it a lot safer for me to sublet it. Through a feature in their website, I was able to get in contact and chat with various different people interested in my room so I could choose the most suitable person. The good thing about it is that I didn't have to pay for anything, I received money from the tenant and did not have to pay for anything. This gave me the opportunity to to go abroad with my conscious clear that I had left my room in good hands and that when I would get back, I would find my room waiting for me. In the end I had a great exchange program, and there was never any problem with the tenant. I really recommend Housing Anywhere for anybody going on exchange and looking to make some money with it!

Thumbnail of user agatheg1
Spain
1 review
6 helpful votes
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August 3rd, 2022
Verified purchase

I came to Barcelona on Erasmus, and I rented a room via the website. I'm facing a huge scam, the pictures are wrong, the place is totally gloomy with no light, there are COFFESTS in my flat, we should be 4 but we are 5, there is no window in my room and the flat is very humid. I feel so bad and I have no answer and no feedback nobody helps me it's a real nightmare! Not to mention "Selling plus" or "barcelona housekeeping" the famous agency that is supposed to be the owner of the property that is rented to me that only lie to me and make me go in circles... TO BE AVOIDED REALLY!

Thumbnail of user rosag97
Spain
1 review
18 helpful votes
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September 8th, 2020

As I read in another reviews I'm also scammed with Anne. I asked for some rooms, she always answered it was not available anymore, but after six tries I got the answer I was waiting for. We paid the first month and wait for instructions to pay the deposit, after that we got another e-mail explaining it has been a mistake and the room is not available anymore but MONEY NEVER COMES BACK. Please be aware, they told us in 48 hours charge will be canceled but that never hapenned.

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Curtis B.
Typically responds within 10 hours

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