The perfect room with the perfect amenities within your budget—no one can have it all, or can they? Certainly, when you’re browsing through rooms for rent on Craigslist it may seem like your perfect apartment couldn’t be further out of reach. If only you could find a room finder that works better than Craigslist. Wouldn’t that be perfect?
Craigslist is popular for various reasons, but it hasn’t managed to hold down the ‘best room finder’ title yet. While some people may luck out on this platform, it’s worthwhile comparing it to a Craigslist alternative for rooms to find out which one would be best for you.
Related: How do I browse people (roommates) on Roomi?
What Makes Roomi the Best Room Finder for Credible Listings?
Roomi is a popular Craigslist alternative for rooms as it offers a variety of safety features. They weed out scams quickly and take steps like ID verification, address verification, and more, to ensure that only legit listings are active on Roomi.
Scared of falling for a scam? Though Roomi takes all steps necessary to moderate listings, they want you to stay safe. Hence, they provide a detailed guide on how to avoid scams, and reporting any fraudulent listings on their platform. Thus, you can trust that your safety is Roomi’s priority.
Roomi also puts users at ease by offering various verification levels. When you go to a user’s profile you can check which levels they have completed. Oh, but don’t worry, you don’t need to share all your personal information with Roomi to get verified. Roomi helps you keep your data secure by using GlobalID for their verification process.
As you browse through the site, you’ll find plenty of rooms for rent on Craigslist. Unfortunately, if you ever Googled the words “Craigslist” and “scam” together, you’ll know that you need to be wary of anything you see. Does a listing look too good to be true? Well, that’s because it most likely is.
What makes Craigslist a convenient platform is that it’s easy to post any ad you want. Though Craigslist asks users to verify their phone and email, this is just about where their security features end. Unfortunately, these security features don’t do much when it comes to deterring scammers; thus, even if you do find genuine listings on the site, you’ll be wondering whether you should move on to a Craigslist alternative for rooms.
Roomi vs Rooms for Rent on Craigslist: Filtering Rooms by Preferences
Okay, but you’re fairly confident that you’ll swiftly avoid any scams; all you want to know is what’s the best room finder app for browsing rooms for rent?
No matter what your budget is, you’ll want to get the most for your buck; a good room finder app should allow you to browse through various rooms within your budget that offer the amenities you’re looking for. You don’t want to fall in love with an apartment only to find out that it’s way more than what you’re willing to pay for rent. So, how do Craigslist and its popular alternative for finding rooms, Roomi, fair in this category?
Related: How do I browse people (roommates) on Roomi?
✅No fee apartments
Roomi allows users to post listings for free; but, they also ensure that they verify user information, along with some sort of address proof to ensure that the listing is legitimate.
Craigslist also allows users to post listings for free, but they only verify the user’s email and phone number.
✅Pet-Friendly Apartments
Roomi allows users to filter active listings so that only pet-friendly listings are shown. You won’t have to worry about your furry friend not being welcomed wherever you go.
Craigslist doesn’t allow you to filter rooms based on features like pet-friendliness.
✅Subletting
Subletting is a complicated process, but Roomi makes it easy. There’s a simple checkbox you can mark that says whether you own the place you’re renting, or if you’re subletting the apartment, making the process a breeze.
On Craigslist you’ll have to remember to list every detail of the place you’re putting up for rent, including whether you’re subletting.
✅Filtering rooms based on amenities
Roomi allows users to filter listings based on their needs. For those looking for a building with a security guard, or need a place with an established wi-fi connection, you won’t have to worry about reading through pages of listings.
Craigslist isn’t an exclusive room finder app; hence, users can’t filter listings according to amenities and features. You’ll have to read each ad individually or message the lister to know more about the room.
✅Filtering rooms based on Listing Type
Roomi allows users to list an entire apartment or only the rooms available for rent. Users can filter listings based on their preference; those comfortable renting a room and sharing common spaces to save rent don’t have to bother browsing through apartment listings. You can also check whether the rooms are shared or private.
Craigslist has two categories: “apa” or “roo”. So, when reading ads, keep an eye out for these keywords. Apartment is denoted as “apa”, and rooms are denoted as “roo”. In case the lister has not mentioned whether the rooms are private, you may have to message them to learn more.
✅Filtering rooms based on House Rules
What makes Roomi one of the best room finder apps is that it allows users to filter rooms based on house rules. It’s easy to find no-smoking rooms or those which do not allow overnight visitors. Whatever makes you comfortable, you can be assured you’ll find it all on Roomi.
Craigslist encourages users to list all that a potential renter needs to know before renting a room. However, many users may rely on you asking them direct questions before you move in. In case you’ve got some specifications, ensure you’ve asked the lister about it.
Paid vs Free: Why choose a Craigslist alternative for rooms when it’s free?
Now, you may already be aware of alternatives for finding rooms that are better than Craigslist, but why should you opt for paid services when Craigslist is free?
Most users decide to try their luck on Craigslist since they think they have nothing to lose as it’s a free app. But this feature can be a disadvantage too; being free, it’s much easier for scammers to lure people with the false promise of a great apartment. It’s not always about losing out on money; data theft is a concern on Craigslist as well.
Related: Is Roomi free to use?
Hence, it’s best to look at a Craigslist alternative for rooms that not only offers great features but is free to use as well. That’s right, Roomi is a free-to-use room finder app where users can find verified and legitimate listings. However, if you want to get more out of the app, you can opt for the Roomi Gold subscription for $29.99 and unlock even more features.
✅ Allowing Free Listings
All Roomi users can have at least 2 active listings at any time. You can increase this number by buying listing credits or subscribing to Roomi Gold.
Craigslist allows free listings as well.
✅ In-app messaging
Connect with listers easily through Roomi’s secure in-app messaging. No need to exchange personal details! When you subscribe to Roomi Gold, you also get to unlock unlimited messaging, which makes it easier to connect with multiple listers to know which one you’re most keen on.
Craigslist does not have any in-app messaging feature and users must leave the platform to connect with each other. Though you may not feel comfortable sharing your personal phone number and email with a stranger, there’s no other way you can learn more about rooms for rent on Craigslist.
So, Which Is the Best Room Finder For You?
Moving to an unknown city is a nerve-wracking process, especially if you don’t know anyone who can help if you happen to fall for a scam. Hence, it’s crucial to find a trustworthy room finder app where you won’t have to worry about falling for fake listings and wasting your time.
As mentioned earlier, Craigslist is not an exclusive room finder app. Hence, it falls short on many aspects when it comes to providing a secure platform for browsing rooms. No matter how great you think you are at avoiding scams, you’ll always be wondering “Is Craigslist legit for finding rooms for rent?” After all, there’s no way to talk to the lister without sharing your personal details. Thus, it’s best to rely on exclusive room finder apps that offer better safety and features to help you find rooms faster.
Roomi is an excellent Craigslist alternative for rooms. It offers tried-and-true safety features such as ID verification, in-app messaging, and makes it easy for you to report scams as well. The platform also has an in-house content moderation team that weeds out scams as quickly as possible to ensure users only find legit listings on the platform.
So, if you’re looking for a Craigslist alternative for rooms where you won’t have to second guess every listing, Roomi is the platform to use. Why don’t you try it for yourself?
Roomi is your one-stop option to list or find rooms, find roommates to settle into a new city easily. Download the app and sign up today!
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