Terms of Service

1. Introduction

Welcome to Roomeru ("Platform," "we," "us," or "our"). Roomeru is an online marketplace that connects verified students ("Guests") with property owners and managers ("Hosts") for student housing accommodations across the United States.

Roomeru acts solely as an intermediary platform facilitating connections between Hosts and Guests. We are not a party to any rental agreement between Hosts and Guests, and we do not own, manage, or control any properties listed on the Platform. By accessing or using Roomeru, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Roomeru regarding your use of the Platform.

2. Eligibility

Roomeru is a marketplace for student-to-student sublets. Both sides of every stay are verified students. To use Roomeru you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age. You attest to this when you create a listing or book a stay; we do not collect your date of birth.
• Be a current or incoming student at an accredited college or university in the United States, with a valid .edu email address from your institution. Verification applies to Hosts and Guests alike.
• Have the legal capacity to enter into binding agreements.

Hosts choose which verified students may book their room: any verified student, students at universities in the listing's metro area, or students at the Host's own university. The Platform enforces the Host's choice; it is not a basis for declining a Guest on any ground prohibited by fair-housing law (see Section 9).

Stays are between 32 and 92 nights (three months). We reserve the right to verify your eligibility at any time and to suspend or terminate accounts that do not meet these requirements.

3. Account Registration & Security

You must create an account to use most features of the Platform. When registering, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration.
• Maintain only one account per person. Creating multiple accounts is prohibited.
• Keep your login credentials confidential and not share them with any third party.
• Notify us immediately at support@roomeru.com if you suspect unauthorized access to your account.

You are solely responsible for all activity that occurs under your account. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

4. Student Verification

Guest accounts require student verification through a valid .edu email address. By completing verification, you represent that you are currently enrolled at or accepted to the institution associated with your .edu email.

We may periodically request re-verification of your student status. If you are unable to re-verify, your account may be restricted from making new bookings. Existing active bookings will not be affected by a verification lapse.

Providing false or misleading verification information is grounds for immediate account termination and may result in the forfeiture of any pending refunds.

5. Host Terms

By publishing a listing, a Host represents and warrants that:

• They hold the room under a lease or agreement that permits them to sublet it for the listed dates, and have obtained any consent their landlord or housing provider requires. Hosts attest to this at publish, and it is the Host's warranty to the Guest under the Stay Agreement.
• The room is off-campus housing. University-owned or university-operated housing may not be listed.
• All listing information — description, photos, monthly rent, availability, and whether roommates remain in the unit — is accurate and not misleading.
• The listing complies with all applicable local, state, and federal law, including any registration or minimum-stay rule for their city, and does not describe a preference for or against any protected class (Section 9).
• They will honour a confirmed stay. Cancelling a confirmed stay refunds the Guest every unused night. Every such cancellation is recorded against the Host; 3 of them, or any cancellation after check-in, suspends the Host's account and unpublishes their listings.
• They will maintain any insurance their lease requires. Roomeru provides no insurance and does not adjudicate damage.

Hosts agree to a separate Hosting Agreement at publish. Hosts are independent of Roomeru and are not its employees, agents, or partners. Roomeru does not endorse or guarantee the quality, safety, or legality of any listing.

Tax reporting: Rent is paid to the Host through the Host's own Stripe account. Stripe, not Roomeru, may issue the Host a Form 1099-K for those receipts where the IRS threshold is met. Hosts are responsible for their own taxes.

6. Guest Terms

By booking a stay, a Guest agrees to:

• Keep a valid payment method on file for the whole stay. Nothing is charged when you book; each rent period is charged to that payment method on the schedule shown before you sign (Section 7).
• Read and sign the Stay Agreement for the exact dates and rent shown before the booking is confirmed. The Stay Agreement is between you and the Host; Roomeru is not a party to it.
• Use the room solely as a residence, in accordance with the listing and any house rules, and treat it with reasonable care. You are responsible to the Host for damage you cause; Roomeru does not collect deposits or adjudicate damage.
• Not exceed the occupancy stated in the listing.
• Not sublease, assign, or transfer the stay to any other person.
• Vacate by the agreed check-out date unless an extension is booked through the Platform.

A booking is confirmed only when the Platform shows it as confirmed. A Host may propose different dates for a pending request; accepting the proposal re-quotes the stay and, for stays of 30 nights or more, requires a fresh signature.

7. Fees & Payments

Rent only. The price of a stay is the Host's monthly rent, pro-rated by night. There is no cleaning fee, no security deposit, and no other charge to the Guest unless a fee is shown on the quote before you sign. Where a Roomeru service fee applies in your state, it is stated separately on the quote and in the Stay Agreement; it is never added afterwards.

Nothing is charged at booking. When you book you save a payment method. Your first rent period is charged 14 days before check-in; each later period is charged on the day it begins. The full schedule — every period, its amount, and its charge date — is shown before you sign and is attached to the Stay Agreement. A stay that ends within one calendar month of check-in is a single period.

Who receives the rent. 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 for the stay. Roomeru does not hold or pool rent at any point. The card-processing cost of each charge is borne by the Host out of that charge. Guests never pay Hosts outside the Platform.

When the Host is paid. The first period is released to the Host 48 hours after check-in, once the Guest has arrived and not reported a problem. Later periods are released when they are collected. Roomeru does not advance rent to a Host before the Guest's charge has succeeded.

Failed charges. If a charge fails we retry and notify you. If the first period cannot be collected within 72 hours of its charge date, the booking is cancelled at no cost to the Guest. If a later period cannot be collected within 5 days of its start, the stay is treated as ended by the Guest with notice from that day (Section 8), and rent for nights already stayed remains owed to the Host.

Roomeru's fee. Roomeru's fee, if any, is set per state and disclosed on the quote. At launch Roomeru charges no fee on rent. Hosts may be charged a listing fee, and Roomeru may charge a percentage of rent in states where it is licensed to do so; any such change is announced in advance and never applies to a stay already signed.

8. Cancellation & Refunds

The cancellation rules for a stay depend on the state the room is in and are shown on the listing, on the quote, and in the Stay Agreement. Two models exist. Every refund is returned to the payment method that was charged.

Standard: Free cancellation until your first payment runs, 14 days before check-in.

• Free cancellation until the first payment runs, 14 days before check-in.
• Cancel 7 or more days before check-in: half of the first period is kept, the rest refunded.
• Cancel within 7 days of check-in, or no-show: the first period is kept.
• After check-in, ending your stay early takes 30 days' notice; rent is owed through the notice period unless the room is re-let sooner.

Actual loss (states that require the Host to mitigate): Free cancellation until your first payment runs, 14 days before check-in.

• Free cancellation until the first payment runs, 14 days before check-in.
• After that, the host keeps only the rent for nights the room stays empty before it is re-let, up to the first period; the rest is refunded at the end of the first period.
• A no-show (no arrival and no contact for 48 hours) keeps the first period.
• After check-in, ending your stay early takes 30 days' notice; rent is owed through the notice period unless the room is re-let sooner.

Where the Standard model keeps part of the first period, that amount is the parties' agreed estimate of the Host's loss from a late cancellation, stated in the Stay Agreement, and is the Host's only remedy for the cancellation.

No-show: If a 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 and later periods are cancelled.

Host cancellation: A Host who cancels refunds the Guest every night not yet stayed, and future periods are never charged. Host cancellations are recorded against the Host (Section 5).

Ending a stay early: After check-in a Guest may end the stay with written notice through the Platform. Rent is owed through the notice period; if the Host re-lets the room sooner, the Guest owes rent only until the new occupant's start. Rent already paid beyond what is owed is refunded when the notice period ends; rent owed but not yet paid is charged on the schedule already shown.

9. Prohibited Conduct

Users of the Platform agree not to:

• Discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected class under the Fair Housing Act and applicable state laws.
• Post false, misleading, or fraudulent listing information or reviews.
• Harass, threaten, or abuse other users, including through Platform messaging.
• Use the Platform for any illegal purpose, including but not limited to unauthorized subletting or operation of an unlicensed hotel.
• Attempt to circumvent Platform fees by arranging payments outside the Platform.
• Create fake accounts, use automated bots, or engage in activities that compromise Platform integrity.
• Interfere with or disrupt the Platform's infrastructure or security systems.

Violations may result in content removal, account suspension or termination, forfeiture of pending payouts, and reporting to appropriate authorities.

10. Content & Intellectual Property

User Content: By posting content (including listing descriptions, photos, reviews, and messages) on the Platform, you grant Roomeru a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, display, and distribute such content in connection with operating and promoting the Platform.

Platform IP: All Platform content, including its design, logos, trademarks, software, and text (excluding User Content), is the property of Roomeru or its licensors and is protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or create derivative works from any Platform content without our prior written consent.

DMCA Takedown: If you believe that content on the Platform infringes your copyright, please send a DMCA takedown notice to legal@roomeru.com with: (a) identification of the copyrighted work, (b) identification of the infringing material, (c) your contact information, (d) a statement of good faith belief, and (e) a statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate and you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

11. Privacy

Your use of the Platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect your personal information. By using the Platform, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.

12. Disclaimers

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

Roomeru does not warrant that: (a) the Platform will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free; (b) listings are accurate, complete, or reliable; (c) any property meets any particular standard of quality, safety, or legality; or (d) any defects in the Platform will be corrected.

You acknowledge that Roomeru is not a party to any Stay Agreement, does not receive or hold rent, and is not a real estate broker, landlord, property manager, or agent of either party. Roomeru does not inspect rooms listed on the Platform. Every stay is an agreement solely between the Host and the Guest; Roomeru provides the marketplace, the verification, the document, and the payment schedule.

13. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ROOMERU AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE PLATFORM.

IN NO EVENT SHALL ROOMERU'S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE PLATFORM EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF FEES YOU PAID TO ROOMERU DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Roomeru, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your use of or access to the Platform; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any applicable law or regulation; (d) your User Content; (e) any property damage, personal injury, or other harm arising from your interaction with other users; or (f) your breach of any representation or warranty in these Terms.

15. Dispute Resolution

In the event of a dispute between users, we encourage the following resolution process:

1. Direct Resolution (72 hours): Parties should first attempt to resolve the dispute directly through the Platform's messaging system within 72 hours.
2. Platform Mediation (7 days): If direct resolution fails, either party may request mediation by contacting support@roomeru.com. We will review the dispute and issue a non-binding recommendation within 7 business days.
3. Binding Arbitration: Any dispute that cannot be resolved through mediation shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. Arbitration shall be conducted in the English language, and judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Class Action Waiver: You agree that any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class, consolidated, or representative action.

Small Claims Exception: Either party may bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes within the court's jurisdictional limits.

Opt-Out: You may opt out of the arbitration agreement by sending written notice to legal@roomeru.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. Your notice must include your name, address, and a clear statement that you wish to opt out of the arbitration provision.

16. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any legal action not subject to arbitration shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Wilmington, Delaware, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

17. General Provisions

Modifications: We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will provide at least 30 days' notice via email and an in-app notification. Continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. For significant changes, we may require you to re-accept the updated Terms before continuing to use the Platform.

Termination: We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms or for any other reason at our sole discretion. You may terminate your account at any time by contacting support@roomeru.com. Termination does not relieve you of obligations incurred prior to termination, including any outstanding payments or active bookings.

Severability: If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Roomeru with respect to the Platform and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

Force Majeure: Roomeru shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing its obligations due to circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, pandemics, government actions, internet outages, or third-party service failures.

Assignment: You may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms without our prior written consent. Roomeru may assign its rights and obligations without restriction.

Waiver: The failure of Roomeru to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision.

Contact Information: For questions about these Terms, please contact us at legal@roomeru.com or write to: Roomeru Inc., Attn: Legal Department.