Roommate Safety Tips

Review the tips below to stay safe during the roommate search process. If you don't already have potential roommates in mind, check out the UCI off campus housing roommates page, and learn more about roommate considerations and roommate agreements.

Posting

  • Don’t use your full name on the Internet (Your public name within the roommate section of the site defaults to your first name and last initial based on what you have entered in your user account information. You can change this to whatever you prefer.)
  • Be mindful of the fact that unintended viewers (such as a friend of someone who has a Roommate Profile) may be able to easily view your information.
  • Be especially careful about posting your exact location - feel free to use our Alternate Address option when filling out Property Location information.
  • Keep in mind that viewers may be able to find information about you elsewhere, so check your privacy settings on other social media sites.
  • Use a search engine to look for yourself online and see what information you can find. Remove any private information that you can, or ask whomever is responsible for the website to remove it for you.
  • Be careful about displaying your age online - feel free to unselect our Display my age on my profile box in the “Personal Info” section.

Emailing

  • Don’t open strange messages or email attachments. Even if you know someone, sometimes their accounts can post things that they don’t want. If a post or message doesn’t look like it’s from your friend, it probably isn’t.

Meeting in Person

  • Arrange a phone conversation before meeting in person. Call from a restricted number in order to mask your number.
  • Meet at a public place where you feel comfortable - never meet at a place of residence.
  • Meet in the daytime.
  • Tell a friend or family member what you are doing and where you are going. Arrange to call them when the meeting is over and/or when you are safely at home.
  • Consider bringing along a friend or two.
  • Be prepared to adjust your meeting plan or abandon it altogether if you feel uncomfortable at any point.
  • No matter how many times you have emailed or talked on the phone, if you haven’t met someone in person, consider them a stranger.
  • Have clarity of mind - don’t meet after a long day, after a party, etc.

Other

  • Trust your instincts. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.
  • Use other social sites or search engines to find out more about potential roommates. Check that their information is consistent across multiple sites.
  • Use a computer with safe Internet browsers and virus protection.
  • Never give out banking information.
  • Be cautious of people who express a desire to rent/sublease your property without seeing it first.
  • Make sure that checks for first month’s rent or utilities, etc. have cleared before processing refunds (e.g., someone sends you a $5,000 check to “secure” a rental and asks for $4,000 of it back). Note: processing international checks take longer than domestic.
  • If you suspect Internet fraud, contact the police department.
  • If you haven’t met someone in person, consider them a stranger.
  • Have clarity of mind - don’t meet after a long day, after a party, etc.