If you’re reading this, you’re likely tired of searching Google for rooms for rent. Even if you’ve found some interesting leads on Craigslist or Facebook, maybe you’re not quite convinced. After all, moving to a new city and into your new home raises concerns not only about safety, but also the anxieties that come with independent living. You’ll also have your own personal preferences of location, price, pets, and so on. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the services offered by Roomi and how these compare to websites like Trulia. So, let’s get started on your journey to navigating the best room finder portal for you!
Features: What Filters & Preferences Do These Room Finders Have to Help you Find your Perfect Room?
We know that moving to a new city is a daunting experience in itself, so we’ve created the best room finder portal for you to match with the perfect room. In order for you to find the room of your dreams, you need to be able to filter different features so that the best room finder can then pull up the listings that are most suited to you. As mentioned above, there are the basic filters of location and price, but Roomi offers so much more than that.
Pet-Friendly Apartments
Both Roomi and Trulia offer pet-friendly listings. However, websites like Trulia do not have the additional filters of other pets — they only take into account dogs and cats. With Roomi, it doesn’t matter if you have a pet other than a dog or a cat because it has three filters for pets: “Dogs OK”, “Cats OK”, and “Other Pets OK”. Roomi makes sure that you don’t leave your best friend behind when moving into a new rental!
Filtering Rooms Based on Amenities
Do you prefer a private bathroom? Is an on-site gym a must-have for you? With the best room finder portal, Roomi, you can expect all of your room wishes to be answered! Roomi has been designed to make the transition to a new home easy and fun for you. So, from elevators to private bathrooms and air-conditioning, Roomi has your back. Trulia also offers filtering rooms by amenities, but in comparison to Roomi, Trulia has fewer filters.
Filtering Rooms Based on Listing Type (Entire Place/Shared Rooms)
Would you prefer an entire rental unit to yourself or share a room to save money? Roomi offers you both options, and more! Trulia, and websites like Trulia, also allow their users to filter rooms by listing type. However, with Roomi you have three options to filter rooms based on listing type:
- Entire Place
- Private Room
- Shared Room
Trulia doesn’t fare well in comparison to Roomi because their listing types are a tad more complicated to understand and navigate than those you’ll find on the best room find portal, Roomi.
Filtering Rooms Based on House Rules
Remember that you’re renting someone else’s owned property, so there might be a few rules in place already. So how do you find the best room for yourself amidst all these different house rules? Roomi makes this easy this for you — simply filter by house rules of no smoking, no drinking, couples OK, and so on! On the other hand, Trulia requires you to manually enter the house rules you would like to be implemented or avoid, every time you search, instead of providing you with a simple checklist like Roomi.
No Fee Apartments
All Roomi listings are no fee. This means you can start viewing and uploading listings for free! Websites like Trulia also offer their users no fee listings. In the search for your perfect room, we at Roomi know that the best room finder portal must be cost-effective and informative!
Subletting
Subletting is the process of renting one’s apartment or room inside a rental to another person for a set period of time. This is often tricky because the subtenant signs an agreement with you rather than the landlord. Sound complicated? Don’t worry, Roomi has simplified the process for you. Trulia, and other websites like Trulia also allow subletting services.
Pricing: Which App Offers the Best Free and Paid Features?
Moving to a new city is expensive enough, but you certainly don’t want to break the bank on a room finder portal that exceeds your budget. Let’s take a look at how Roomi is the answer to all your room finder woes:
- Free Members on Roomi: Free to sign up and list a place to rent.
- Roomi’s Gold Subscription: The Gold Subscription is available at $29.99 per month or $14.99 per week. You choose whether to pay monthly or weekly depending on your planned finances.
Let’s take a closer look at the features Roomi offers its users on the free and Gold subscription plans.
Allowing Free Listings
On Roomi, it is free to post an advertisement for a place to rent. Senders can send up to two listings for free in any of the locations that Roomi supports. Likewise, it’s free to search for a place to rent. However, if users want better results, paying for Roomi’s Gold subscription plan is recommended. With Roomi’s Gold subscription plan, these are the listing features you will have access to:
- A ranking boost for 7x more views on your profile and listings
- 5 active listings to post all the empty rooms in your apartment
On the other hand, while Trulia is also free to use and download, users who have posted their Trulia review online mention that there is no way to directly list with Trulia. Websites like Trulia redirect their users to a third-party vendor for listings, which means that you have to keep switching apps and risk losing track of your room search.
List a room with the best room finder, Roomi, with the help of this wonderfully easy guide!
In-App Messaging
You can send messages and view them for free on Roomi. Furthermore, Roomi’s free plan also allows you to ask questions and set up times to view apartments. And you can message any listing for free! However, if you’re looking for more features with regards to in-app messaging, here’s what Roomi’s Gold subscription plan can unlock:
- Access to unlimited messages with potential roomies. (On mobile, you also get unlimited swipes!)
- A Fully Verified status upgrade which gets you 5x more messages.
While Trulia allows you to contact agents for free and there no costs associated with using the app, it lacks advanced features. The most glaring disadvantage being that Trulia does not have an agent directory in-app, which means that you will not be able to contact real estate agents directly.
Related: Roomi Gold Subscriptions
Security: How Do These Apps Ensure That Listings Are Credible?
Roomi’s reputation as the best room finder is in part thanks to its commitment to the privacy and security of its users. Roomi protects you and your information in the following ways:
- The process of verifying your Listers account is a friendly way to ensure that the person living in the apartment you’re about to rent from is real. The verification process involves providing a copy of your lease, utility bill, or government-issued ID.
- Your Roomi listing address is not visible to others on the app. Instead, only an approximate location is shown.
- Roomi’s in-house content moderation team will review any listing or profile that violates Roomi policy. You can even report users to our trust and safety team.
Trulia doesn’t offer the same rigorous content moderation, and as a result some of their users have complained in their Trulia reviews that the listings are often not very reliable. Nevertheless, Trulia’s public initiatives claim to vet new accounts and verify listings by ensuring the lister has a valid U.S. phone number and IP address.
Related: How can I delete my data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?
So, Which Is the Best Room Finder For You?
Everyone has a certain set of expectations and requirements when they move into a new home. Roomi’s mission is to serve its users with advanced features and filters, from amenities and house rules to listing types. In choosing the best room finder for yourself, you must be secure in the knowledge that your information and identity are safe and protected. Roomi does this effortlessly while making sure that your browsing experience is fun! Roomi also simplifies your room hunt by offering tick boxes to help you narrow down your search.