Policies & Terms
One kind of stay, one set of rules. Everything here is also in the Stay Agreement you sign, and in our Terms of Service.
Who Can Stay
Roomeru is for student-to-student sublets. Both sides of every stay are verified students, and every stay is a sublet of a room the host holds and is allowed to sublet.
Guests
- Verified with a .edu email from a US college or university
- 18 or older, by attestation (we never collect your date of birth)
- Within the tier the host chose for the listing
Hosts
- Verified with a .edu email, 18 or older
- Attest the room is off-campus and their lease or landlord permits the sublet
- Choose who may book: any verified student, metro-area universities, or their own university only
Stay length: from 32 nights to 92 nights. The tier a host chooses is the only way a listing may narrow who can book; a listing cannot state a preference for or against any protected class.
How Rent Is Paid
Rent only, one period at a time
At booking
Nothing charged. Sign the Stay Agreement, save a card.
First period
Charged 14 days before check-in.
Later periods
Each charged on the day it starts.
The price:
- The host's monthly rent, pro-rated by night for the exact dates
- No cleaning fee, no security deposit
- No Roomeru fee at launch. Roomeru's fee is set per state and, where one applies, is on the quote and in the Stay Agreement before you sign — never added later
Who receives it:
Rent is paid by the guest to the host. Each charge is processed by Stripe and settled to the host's own Stripe account; the host is the merchant of record and bears the card-processing cost of the charge. Roomeru never holds rent. The first period is released to the host 48 hours after check-in; later periods when they are collected.
If a charge fails:
- We retry and notify both of you
- First period not collected within 72 hours of its charge date: the booking is cancelled at no cost to the guest
- Later period not collected within 5 days of its start: the stay is treated as ended by the guest with notice from that day; rent for nights already stayed remains owed
Cancellation
Which model applies depends on the state the room is in. It is shown on the listing, on the quote, and in the Stay Agreement. Under both, cancelling is free until the first payment runs, and every refund goes back to the card that was charged.
| Model | Rules |
|---|---|
| Standard |
|
| Actual loss |
|
Where the Standard model keeps part of the first period, that amount is the agreed estimate of the host's loss from a late cancellation, stated in the Stay Agreement, and is the host's only remedy for it. The Actual loss model applies in states that require the host to re-let and keep only the actual loss.
Ending a Stay Early
This is NOT Cancellation
Once you have checked in, leaving early is "ending the stay," not cancelling. You give notice, and rent is owed through the notice period.
How it works:
- Give 30 days' notice: Submit an "End stay early" request through the platform.
- You owe rent through the notice period: Even if you leave at once, rent is owed for 30 days from your notice date.
- Re-letting shortens it: If the host finds a new guest before your notice period ends, your obligation stops at the re-let date.
- Settlement: Rent already paid beyond what you owe is refunded when the notice period ends; rent owed but not yet paid is charged on the schedule already shown.
Example:
- You give notice on day 20 of your stay
- Your notice period ends on day 50 (30 days later)
- If the room is not re-let: you owe rent through day 50
- If the host re-lets from day 35: you owe rent through day 34
Deposits & Damage
Key Principle
Roomeru does not charge security deposits. Nothing is collected or held on your card beyond rent. Damage is a matter between guest and host under the Stay Agreement; Roomeru does not collect for it or decide disputes about it.
What that means in practice:
- The guest pays rent only — no deposit, no hold
- The guest is responsible to the host for damage they cause, as the Stay Agreement states
- Both sides should photograph the room at check-in and check-out and keep conversations on the platform
- A cancellation or an early departure is never treated as damage
Host Cancellations & No-Shows
If the host cancels:
- The guest is refunded every night not yet stayed, and no future period is charged
- Every host cancellation counts against the host; 3 of them, or any cancellation after check-in, suspends the host and unpublishes their listings
If the guest does not show up:
- If the guest neither arrives nor contacts the host within 48 hours of check-in, the host may report a no-show
- The first period is kept; later periods are cancelled
What Roomeru Is
The marketplace, not the landlord
Every stay is an agreement between the host and the guest. Roomeru is not a party to it, does not receive or hold rent, and is not a broker, landlord, or property manager.
What we provide:
- Verification of every host and guest
- The Stay Agreement, written for your dates and rent
- The payment schedule, and the charges that run on it through the host's Stripe account
- Messaging, support, and the rules on this page
Frequently Asked Questions
Cancelling
Leaving Early
Paying
Have Questions?
Our support team is here to help with any policy questions.
Contact Support