Many of our members, especially those new to home rentals and exchanges, are concerned about entering into an agreement with someone they don’t know. This is understandable, and SabbaticalHomes cannot guarantee the integrity of every person using the site.

However, there are certain steps that can be taken to increase the comfort level and provide reassurances to have confidence in continuing with an agreement.

First, it is very important to do some research to make sure the SabbaticalHomes member is legitimate and the right fit.

Due Diligence: Resources within SabbaticalHomes

After exchanging a few messages on SabbaticalHomes, if the arrangements look promising, you will most likely communicate directly with each other. Here are some areas on SabbaticalHomes to visit before that next step of exchanging personal contact information:

1. A good place to start is by checking out the member’s public profile to get an idea of their professional background, academic affiliations, spoken languages and interests. There may be links to their university or LinkedIn account.
2. Check out the member’s Trust Score. Our newly added Trust Score feature is a quick way to check a person’s credibility.  The Trust Score reflects a member’s level of involvement and commitment within the SabbaticalHomes The more years they have been members, reviews or references they have written or received, matches they have announced, the higher their Trust Score will be.  You can view a member’s Trust Score on their public profile and listings, and keep in mind that a newer member will naturally have a lower Trust Score but still be the right fit.
3. Next, read reviews from previous members who may have had experiences with the person you are thinking about working with. Reviews appear in several places on SabbaticalHomes.com such as a member’s public profile and on their listings.

Due Diligence: Things to Check outside of SabbaticalHomes

1. One of the easiest ways to get an idea of a person’s authenticity is to check his or her email. You can do this through a simple internet If the email handle (ex. @stanford.edu or @lsc.ac.uk) returns legitimate results, such as an academic institution or established business, this is a good sign that the person is a valid candidate for consideration. Fraudulent emailers often use popular domains such as yahoo.com or gmail.com, so emails ending with a specific domain name of a university, school, or company are a good sign.
2. Another form of search that you can perform is to type in the person’s full name and see what results appear. If the person you are considering for your exchange or rental is an academic, you can use Google search to find their name on a faculty listing for a school, anything that the person may have published, or academic groups in which they may belong.
3. Use Google Maps or another mapping application to verify that the home you want to rent actually exists. Scammers often use fake addresses and photos.
4. Make some time for a phone or video conversation (Skype or Google Meeting or Zoom can work well as a chemistry check). Jot down some questions that are important to you and be sure you’re comfortable with the answers you receive.
5. Credit checks are a more difficult, but helpful, way of getting information on a person’s credit history. This option may not be available outside of the United States.  To request credit reports within the U.S., visit: experian.com, equifax.com or transunion.com. Note that these services are fee-based.

As SabbaticalHomes.com member Morgan O’Hara said:

” It was easy. The description and her application gave us questions. Our Skype conversation gave us answers. Very easy process.”

A Final Step: Checking Personal References

Another very important step is to request personal references from the person you are corresponding with – and expect them to ask for yours in return. References are intended to give a fellow member a glimpse into your character and values and vice versa. This protects both parties and is a step toward establishing trust between the two parties.

Typically, a written reference will be provided.  However, you may request contact information to validate the reference(s).  To make sure that the people writing the letters of reference are legitimate, check their emails and/or phone numbers by searching online as mentioned above.

Please remember: never send any money for deposits until you are completely sure of a person’s identity and authenticity. Learn more here about finding the right payment method once you have finished checking references and created a contract.

Related: Additional Tips in our Frequently Asked Questions

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