Question 1

What exactly are you?

Accepted Answer

An independent service that connects students looking for a place in Pavia with people offering or leaving a room. Born on Instagram, now also a WhatsApp community. We are not an agency and we are not the University.

Question 2

Does using the site cost anything?

Accepted Answer

No. Searching, posting and contacting whoever posted are free and will stay free. The only paid thing is the Private Group: €10, once.

Question 3

Are you connected to the University of Pavia?

Accepted Answer

No. We are an independent service, not affiliated with the University of Pavia: no agreement, no endorsement.

Question 4

What languages do you answer in?

Accepted Answer

Italian and English. The site is translated into both and we answer in English on WhatsApp without any trouble: half the people who write to us are Erasmus or international students.

Question 5

How do I contact whoever posted a listing?

Accepted Answer

Through the WhatsApp button on the listing page. The message opens already written, with the listing code in it (for example PV-0123), so the person receiving it knows immediately which room you mean.

Question 6

Why does the map not show the exact address?

Accepted Answer

Because we never publish it. You see the area and a circle shifted by a few hundred metres: the exact address comes from whoever is renting, when you arrange the viewing. It protects your privacy as much as theirs.

Question 7

Can one listing have several rooms at different prices?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is normal: in a shared flat a room with a private bathroom costs more than a plain single. On the listing page you see each room with its own price and what it includes, and in the list you see the lowest price with “from” in front of it.

Question 8

How long does a listing stay online?

Accepted Answer

Thirty days. Before it expires, whoever posted it gets an email to renew it or mark it as rented. That is there so you do not waste time on rooms that are already gone.

Question 9

What is a takeover?

Accepted Answer

It is when someone leaves their room before the contract ends and you take their place. It can work two ways: you take over the existing contract, or you sign a new one with the landlord. It depends on what the landlord accepts.

Question 10

Is it worth it for the person leaving?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Almost every contract requires notice, often three months: if you leave in February you could be paying for an empty room until May. Find a replacement, with the landlord's agreement, and you do not pay those months.

Question 11

And for the person looking?

Accepted Answer

It is often the best deal you will find: the room is already furnished, it is free immediately, and the price is what the previous tenant paid, not the marked-up price of a fresh listing.

Question 12

Does the landlord have to agree?

Accepted Answer

Always. A takeover done behind their back does not hold up and lands both of you in trouble. On our listings we state whether the landlord has already said yes or whether it still has to be asked: check that field before doing anything.

Question 13

What do I get for €10?

Accepted Answer

Direct help from the search to the signature: we flag the right rooms before they go public, look at the contract with you, tell you when a price is out of line, and put you into flatmate groups so you can reach entire flats.

Question 14

Why is it paid, if everything else is free?

Accepted Answer

Because it is the only thing that costs us real time, person by person. The €10 keeps the service running and keeps out anyone joining just to browse: everyone in the group is genuinely looking.

Question 15

How do I join the Private Group?

Accepted Answer

You message us on WhatsApp from the button on the Private Group page: the chat opens with the message ready. We reply, send you the €10 payment link, and as soon as you send a screenshot of the receipt we add you to the group with that number. You do not need an account on the site.

Question 16

Can I ask for a refund?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you have not been added to the group yet, the refund is full and you do not have to explain anything. After that, the refunds page applies. Either way, write to us first in the same chat: it almost always gets sorted by talking.

Question 17

How do I spot a scam listing?

Accepted Answer

The signs are nearly always the same: they ask for a deposit before the viewing, the landlord is “abroad” and cannot show you the flat, the price is far below market, the photos look like a catalogue, and there is pressure to hurry. If even one of these shows up, stop.

Question 18

Should I ever pay before seeing the place?

Accepted Answer

No. Never. No deposits, no “room holding fees”, no transfers to “keep it for you”. The viewing comes before the money, always: in person or, if you are out of town, at least on a live video call from inside the room.

Question 19

Is my phone number visible to everyone?

Accepted Answer

No. Your number does not appear in the page text or in the source: the WhatsApp link is built on the spot by our server. That keeps automated number harvesters away.

Question 20

I found a suspicious listing, what do I do?

Accepted Answer

Use the “Report listing” button on the page, or message us on WhatsApp. We check it and take it down if needed. Reporting is anonymous and takes ten seconds.

Question 21

I am a landlord: does posting cost me anything?

Accepted Answer

No, and we take no commission from you or from the student. All the conditions are on the page for landlords.

Question 22

Who checks the listings?

Accepted Answer

We read them one by one before they go live, usually within 24 hours. If something important is missing, such as an estimate of the bills, we write to you rather than just rejecting it.

Question 23

Can I rent the whole flat to a group?

Accepted Answer

Yes. And if you do not have a group, we put one together from the students in the community and introduce them to you: it is one of the things we are best at.

Frequently asked questions

General

Listings and searching

Takeovers

Private Group

Safety and scams

For landlords

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