HousingAnywhere

Si vous avez la malchance de tomber sur un propriétaire malhonnête (dans notre cas Fabio e Barbara à Milan), Housing Anywhere ne fera rien pour vous aider. Pire encore, toutes les actions entreprises par Housing Anywhere le seront dans l'unique but de servir leur seul intérêt.
Pour un séjour de 6 mois à Milan, nous avions réservé un appartement de longue date, que nous pensions contrôlé par la plateforme Housing Anywhere. Hélas, nous avons atterri dans un taudis insalubre, misérable et mal tenu de 39 m² au lieu des 60 m² annoncés.
Nous avons bien sûr immédiatement alerté le gestionnaire de l'appartement qui n'a pas VOULU se rendre disponible pendant le délai légal d'annulation sous conditions de 48h, car celui-ci était en vacances. Ainsi, sans avoir pu le rencontrer, nous avons malgré tout fait valoir notre droit d'annulation dans les temps auprès de Housing Anywhere invoquant l'article 15.15 sur l'état d'insalubrité de l'appartement.
Dans un premier temps, nous avons reçu une fin de non recevoir de la part du site, le ménage ne rentrant pas dans les motifs d'annulation. Je tiens à préciser qu'il ne s'agissait en aucun cas d'un simple ménage mais d'auréoles de fluides corporels sur le matelas et la tête de lit en tissu, absolument tout le linge de maison et tous les tissus d'ameublement étaient souillés. Il y avait un mégot dans le lit, de la graisse coulait le long des murs de la cuisine et quasiment tout le mobilier était cassé et/ou inutilisable: par exemple, il n'y avait aucune chaise pour s'asseoir, la plaque de cuisson défectueuse était recouverte d'une autre plaque de cuisson d'appoint et le canapé coincé en mode lit au milieu du salon tenait sur 2 caisses en bois. La liste n'est pas exhaustive et toutes les preuves ont été envoyées à Housing Anywhere. A ce jour, au vu de tous ces éléments, nous ne savons toujours pas ce que Housing Anywhere entendait par appartement insalubre.
Scandalisés, nous avons fortement insisté auprès de Housing Anywhere, invoquant la seconde non conformité, soit la superficie de l'appartement que nous avions mesuré avant de partir. Grâce à la malhonnêteté du gestionnaire et de la propriétaire qui leur ont fourni un calcul fantaisiste de la superficie incluant la cave et la coursive, Housing Anywhere ne voulant probablement ne pas être plus inquiété, nous a finalement donné gain de cause, nous remboursant les frais d'agence et le premier mois de loyer et sommant la propriétaire de nous rembourser la caution s'élevant à 1 400 €. Encore une fois, pour des raisons fantaisistes et non justifiées, la propriétaire ne nous a remboursé que 940 €. Les événements se sont déroulés le 01 janvier et pour l'heure, ces personnes mal intentionnées nous sont toujours redevables de 460 €.
Si je comprends parfaitement que la caution devait nous être remboursée par la propriétaire, ce que je ne comprends pas en revanche, c'est l'absence de sanction de la part de Housing Anywhere envers la propriétaire. En effet, jusqu'à aujourd'hui, on peut encore trouver l'appartement sans aucune hygiène sur leur plateforme, affichant 46 m² alors que nous leur avons clairement prouvé qu'il n'en faisait que 39. Il y a plus grave encore, la propriétaire en question loue 13 autres appartements sur Housing Anywhere.Tout ça est incompréhensible, car étant donné les pratiques scandaleuses et le comportement agressif de ces personnes (gestionnaire et propriétaire que nous avons finalement eu l'occasion de rencontrer le 3ème jour), Housing Anywhere aurait dû prendre ses responsabilités.
En conclusion, nous laissons cet avis pour éviter à d'autres personnes de vivre la même fâcheuse expérience et espérons que les nombreuses critiques postées sur internet qui vont dans ce sens auront raison de cette plateforme qui manque de transparence, de sérieux, d'investissement, de prise de position, en un mot: malhonnête.

They've charged 200 euros but did not provide absolutely any security.

- I was denied viewing of the apartment.
- I've had to transfer a deposit **before** move-in day to some bank account that was not refundable.
- I've had to transfer a fee **before** move-in day to some bank account (illegal in the country I was moving to) that was not refundable.
- I've had to pay first month's rent **before** move-in day without having any chance to see the apartment beforehand.
- I am asked to sign a contract stating that I am moving in on the 1st day of the month, despite specifying move-in date 1 week later.
- HousingAnywhere support was unsupportive, basically telling me that it's fine that I have to transfer over 1 thousand euros, without any protection.

They provided absolutely no service, except take 200 euros from me and then give me scammy conditions.

So far so good. Found my flat using this platforms. The 48 hrs guarantee period is higher than what other websites offer.

Be extremely cautious before using Housing Anywhere.

We had to cancel our booking within 72 hours of placing it due to unforeseen circumstances completely out of our control. This date was more than 45 days before our requested move in date.

Housing Amywhere's strict cancellation policy refers to the Dutch Civil Code, which states that good faith must be applied to such situations as ours, however, their exceptions rule out almost every situation where good faith could and should apply.

We have subsequently lost €1848 (several months savings for our family) to Housing Anywhere and the landlord for effectively doing nothing; while they still have ample time to find a replacement.

I know that someone from Housing Anywhere will reply to my comment apologising as a form of PR damage control, but know that they have not been sympathetic to our situation.

I hate to think how they have treated other customers before us going through more stressful events and in worse-off financial positions.

My advice is to use almost any other housing booking platform (Air BnB, Spot a Home, Booking, etc) before resorting to Housing Anywhere, as their terms and conditions have far greater adoptions of the true meaning of good faith.

Based on my personal experience

FOR THOSE WHO NEED LEASE AGREEMENT FOR VISA, Please get confirmation from owner that you need that..

Das ist ein Albtraum für mich. Ich habe ein Zimmer in Hamburg bei eine Frau heißt Sandra gebucht. Nach der Buchung hat Sandra drei Tagen nicht auf meine Nachrichten reagiert. Nix.
Nach drei Tagen und nach viel Gesprächen mit dem Kundenservice hat sich endlich Sandra gemeldet und mir weitere Informationen geschickt. Überraschung! Sie hat mir einen Mietvertrag geschickt, was für ein anders Zimmer ist also kleine äs Zimmer und billiger auch aber ich sollte für das teiers Zimmer bezahlen. Außerdem soll ich extra für das Internet bezahlen aber Online war das Internet Inbegriff. Deswegen habe ich die Kundenservice um Hilfe gebeten. Und mir wurde gesagt, dass ich die Buchung stornieren kann. Nach der Stornierung habe ich ein Email bekommen dass ich gar nix zurückbekommen... total schlecht Service. Ich empfehle niemanden. Leute Vorkasse Miete ist sehr sehr doof

Rented an apartment in Athens, Greece.
The advertisement showed the room as the following:

3 housemates (mixed)
Private room in apartment
Truly amazing 4 bedroom spacious flat
Private balcony

The 'apartment' was dirty, had broken amenities, but more importantly, was not an apartment, but a room within a hostel, where all other rooms made use of the shared facilities. The room itself was pretty dirty but not unbearable, but the hostel was loud and unhygienic. A thumping techno wakeup at 7am on a Wednesday morning was the final straw in my case.

My experience was a blatant misrepresentation which has now been backed up by Housinganywhere, as they have used their liberal cancellation policy to side with the advertiser - requesting I provide proof of the number of people in the accommodation (despite the violation of privacy regulations) in my one day on the property, only so that the advertiser's claim of '3 occupants' falls in line with the original advert.
Have had to start legal proceedings on this matter.

Housinganywhere have shown a complete disregard for truthful advertising and tenancy rights, and I would strongly advise against renting a property through them unless all possible due diligence has been conducted on the property you plan to stay in.

Including the following in anticipation of Housinganywhere response - as was done on another advisor site.

I did not say you were a real estate agency, but as a platform that 'claims to use online resources to research listings' to authenticate properties - it's evident in this case that you have failed to do so, hence my warning about due diligence.

I also addressed those terms directly to the advertiser who claimed it was not a hostel, when a few Google searches for the term 'Acropolis View Dream, Athens', shows it most certainly is - and I have messages on record which he explains 'it can get quite loud, I did see mosquitos' etc etc.

You apologize for the inconvenience, but an apology doesn't help me recover a month's worst of lost accommodation fees (which go to the misrepresentative advertiser), or the other fees and trouble I had to go to in order to find an alternative accommodation, hence the legal proceedings which I am discussing with your colleague, or trying to at least without response.

Go with Spotahome or AirBNB instead.

If I only knew for this review site before, I would save 700€ which is not even one salary in my country. Nobody will return this to me. They do not give tenants to visit place before moving-in, that's why this thing hapens. They do not even know in which conditions are apartments they advertise. Never again! Very bad experience. Waiting for weeks for theis reply and accusing me to lie...be carefull!
One of their 'most valuable' landlord has accomodation in pictures:

I have a crucial warning for you, and I want to convey it in the most authentic way possible. Please, I implore you, steer clear of this particular service I had a disastrous encounter with. It may seem similar to AirBNB, but let me assure you, it's far from it. Here's my cautionary tale:

Picture this: You transfer your hard-earned money to the service, thinking you're all set after signing their contract. But hold on tight, because here comes the plot twist. Suddenly, they spring another contract on you, demanding even more money to be sent to some unknown company. Can you believe the audacity? Naturally, I refused, and you won't believe what happened next. They had the nerve to cancel my booking and make off with a staggering 1090 euros from my pocket!

Now, let me tell you, I'm in complete distress. That money was meant to cover my accommodation expenses for the entire upcoming month, and now it's all gone. I'm at a loss for what to do, and I can only imagine the endless struggle ahead to try and recover it. It seems like Anna (or perhaps a bot named Anna) finds it perfectly acceptable to leave customers high and dry, robbing them of their funds for an entire month. This kind of attitude towards clients is simply disgraceful, and this woeful brand seems to be okay with it.

Believe me when I say that I am under tremendous stress right now, and I'm begging you from the bottom of my heart, learn from my mistake. Never, and I mean never, make the mistake of booking with this service. If everything goes smoothly, you might be safe, but the moment any issue arises, mark my words, they'll treat you as if you're worthless, an insignificant individual.

I beseech you, spare yourself the agony and avoid this service at all costs. Please take my warning seriously and protect yourself from this nightmarish experience.

A really handy platform for international and exchange students to find a room! Navigation is really easy! Makes life easier!

Initial booking turned out to be with a landlord which has numerous public complains regarding the return of the deposit. As I tried to cancel the booking (providing both evidence of customer complaints and additional requirement to pay the deposit without signed contract), Housinganywhere refused to return the fee on the basis that this is not a scam, as apartment really exists. De facto, the site that purports to protect tenants from scam is a scam itself, charging fees irrespective of the quality of listings.

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.

Horrible experience - Took 5 weeks to contact me after they assured me 2 - 5 business days to process a refund for a booking cancellation request
Was emailed once by the so-called financial team and then told they had given my 1800€ away to the advertiser despite never staying there. Beware: they do not care one bit about contract terms and will scam you
AVOID and save your money

In the beginning everything was fine, I rented a bed in a hostel via their website for 500 eur and 150 eur adminstration fee of housinganywhere. But in fact it turned out not to be as advertised. I emailed to support, where I described the reasons and attached photos to request for refund of room renting.
After a day I got a reply that my request was being processed and it would take a maximum of 2 working days. Half a month passed, I have got neither my money nor house!

I booked a room a while ago and I am moving in in a few days, however the landlord just suddenly cancelled my booking. How am I supposed to find a new place in a few days and they are not taking any responsibility. I already wasted 52 euros on the subscription and all I get are troubles. Many places on the website said room available but are actually not available. Scam your subscription fee money and not helpful at all.

Booked a room without lock and the team refuse to give a refund for the service fee despite giving them all the proof. Beware everyone it seems like they will try their best to scam the service fee. Spoke to curtis from the account team and he told me that "i have enough of your nonsense" in the phone. What kind of service is this? Bad customer service. Should really train their staff. WILL NOT RECOMMEND! IT IS A SCAM!

After a my reservation confirmed with landlord I paid first month in advance to make it robots (site policies) after 5 days 21st Feb the landlord said that they want a February rent I have to pay it since my reservation was on 1st of March. If don't they will cancel. I said it is not fare to pay for a month that already has a week left to move in. They cancel the reservation and didn't pay for any damages and funny part is that it took 24 days to refund my money not to mention more than 10 times that I called for the answer.
Overall I strongly suggest not to get involved with this site.

My destination for Erasmus exchange was - honestly - I wild shot. I had no idea what it's like in Slovenia, didn't speak the language - nothing. Moreover I spent the whole summer abroad, thinking very little about what I was gonna do next. And suddenly I found myself a couple of days from the departure with no place to stay once in Ljubljana.
We all hear the same when contacting the landlords - don't we? 'Oh, but you are a student... and a foreigner... and just for a couple of months?... No, no, I don't think so'
Then - thank God I came across HousingAnywhere. Well, number of rooms offered is limited, but those advertising them are ready to give them away quite cheaply and for short term. Also - the company addresses my biggest fear - that the money will just disappear. Owing to the 'safe payment' method you are 100% sure the landlord will not escape with your deposit, leaving you homeless.
Certainly - trustworthy!

Little protection to tenants, gives better terms and conditions for landlords, also the banking transfer is extremely slow (4th day and landlord still hasn't received my money...) I recommend to not touch this site if you're far away and hoping for easy booking, since July 2023 housing agreement MUST be on paper in Netherlands so if you're looking for housing there, stay away from this site. If you have paid the deposit and first month they can take your money and the landlord can "kindly" return it to you but can also take it for "damage", damage for not showing up on appointment (doesn't matter if you had a seizure and woke up on floor or didn't wake up, it's the same for them) can cost you even 3k euro. Stay away.

I love to travel, especially I do not miss the moment to visit the cities of Europe. What a beautiful city of Vienna, an unforgettable collection of memories. On the way online I made a quick reservation for an apartment in Mayerhofgasse, and most importantly I was satisfied with my choice. For traveling students, first of all, a special role in the journey is played by who you travel with. The courtesy of the staff is an important argument that made our holiday comfortable and cozy.

I just had the worst experiencie on my life buying on internet, this website will make you pay fees in two diferents websites and when you notice you are paying extra taxes in a new website and want to cancel the booking they keep the first stage fees so now im talking directly with my bank to cancel the whole transactions on this scam website.

Payment methods on housinganywhere.com discriminates against residents in Portugal. They have bank payments for Poland, Germany, Austria, Netherlands etc.but not for Portugal. They insist on credit cards. My credit card is maxed out because I used it for my first months rent. I don't have time to pay the card down to use it for the deposit.(It take 5-10 days for payment to post on credit card) I move in in 3 days. I have asked the landlord if I my make a direct deposit, but have not heard back from her yet. They have also removed SEPA from their service. None of their payment methods work for me. It has been extremely hard to find a way to make first months rent payment. Come on housinganywhere add debit cards.we live in the computer age.

After my stay there has been an issue of the deposit refund. Housing Anywhere states that this is not their concern and they can do nothing to aid me. More so they do not make reviews of the landlord visible on their page making it impossible to truly know if there have been prior issues with a landlord making my review and many others meaningless as well as attempting to mitigate these issues impossible