Whether you are offering or seeking a room, the best way to get the result you want is to make sure the ad is as good as it can be. A few well-chosen photos, an interesting description, and the position of your ad in search can all make a real difference to the quality and number of responses.
Always Include Photos
Ads with good photos get a much higher response rate. Only upload photos of the actual room or property you are advertising. You can include up to ten photos per ad.
Don’t worry if your photos upload sideways or upside-down. You can rotate them using the special buttons on the page, or we’ll rotate them for you.
If you have any difficulties uploading photos, just email them through to us and we’ll add them to your ad. contact@roomlets.rentals
Write a Compelling Description
A well-written description is your opportunity to really differentiate your ad.
If you’re offering a room, think about
You can start with a few sentences or paragraphs and edit the description later if you wish.
You must not include any contact details in your description.
Include a Contact Phone Number
Some people prefer phone or text, rather than email or messaging. You may optionally include a contact phone number with your ad. We will display the number to registered users only.
Think Essential vs. Nice to Have
The more specific and detailed your requirements, the more tailored and suited the results will be. On the other hand, picky requirements will result in fewer ad-matches and probably fewer responses. To keep your options open, try being less specific in your requirements.
Disclose Any Additional Costs
The Tenant Fees Act, effective 1 June 2019 in England and the Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act, effective 1 September 2019 in Wales set strict new rules for landlords and agents charging private tenants and lodgers for services.
You must disclose any additional costs in the ad description. For example:
- Rental cost for a couple vs a single person
- Rental cost for a short-term vs. a long-term let
Deposits
The Tenant Fees Act sets the maximum security deposit at five weeks rent in most cases for rentals in England, and the maximum holding deposit at one week’s rent.
One Ad per Property
If you are offering or seeking more than one room in the same property, use the ‘Add Another Bedroom’ button to specify details for the additional rooms. If you are offering more than one property, please create a separate ad for each property.
We don’t allow ‘bait and switch’ – the practice of advertising a room that doesn’t exist in order to attract renters with the intent of selling them a different or higher priced room. In England and Wales, this is also banned under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and can result in criminal prosecution.
Don’t Discriminate
In UK housing, it’s illegal to discriminate on certain grounds when renting a room, such as disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Some exceptions are permitted in small shared households, but we always advise advertisers to focus on describing their own characteristics rather than those of the other person.
For more information see: How to Avoid Discrimination When Letting a Room
Share Your Ad
Sometimes the best results come through personal networks. We encourage you to share your Roomlets.Rentals ad on Facebook or Twitter. You can ask your friends and associates in turn to share or re-tweet your ad. There are social sharing buttons on your ad page for this purpose.
Keep Your Ad up to Date
If anything changes, and especially when the ad is filled, please make sure you update your ad listing. This will help keep the site fresh and avoid unnecessary contact and disappointment.
You can check on the popularity of your ad through stats displayed when you sign in. If you are getting fewer responses than you expected, or responses that don’t interest you, try editing your ad.
Recycle Your Ad
When you’ve finished with your ad, you can move it to the ‘saved ads’ area of the site. It will be ready for you to edit and re-use next time you are advertising.
Ready to Place Your Ad?
We get new users searching our site every day. Placing your Room-Offered or Room-Wanted listing now to make sure you appear in their search results.