HousingAnywhere Reviews

4,435  Average
TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

3.7

In the Online Marketplace category

Write a review

Company activitySee all

Reviews3.7

4,435 total


Sort:


Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Do be aware!

The second property I found with HousingAnywhere went as smoothly as can be expected, but the three star drop goes for not refunding me on the first booking I made with them - all done from another country and without seeing the place - as the property was not as advertised by the agent. Do be aware…
The issue is still ongoing after nearly a month and for that a generous 2 stars.

Date of experience: October 08, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Hi Andre,

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We’re glad that you were able to find a suitable property through our platform for your second booking. However, we apologize for any frustration caused by your first experience.

Please know that we take all cases seriously, especially those involving discrepancies between property listings and reality. While our terms and conditions outline the criteria for refunds, we understand how important transparency and prompt resolutions are.
We would also like to encourage our users to refer to Article 15 of the Terms and Conditions for a better understanding of our cancellation policies.

We can see that the outcome has been already provided to you so if you need more clarity, please feel free to contact our customer service team, they are happy to help!

Regards,
Teddy

Advertisement

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Do NOT do business with HousingAnywhere…

Do NOT do business with HousingAnywhere in London. Many of the listing are through someone named 'James' who is supposed to be from a property management company but then you end up communicating with GuestReady which is an entirely different company. I paid $400 for a deep clean before moving in and basically nothing was cleaned. Also, the place I'm renting has crackheads who sit on the stoop at night blocking your way into the building. Definitely NOT SAFE.

Date of experience: October 28, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear,

Thank you for sharing your experience, and we’re sorry to hear about the issues you encountered. It’s concerning to learn about the cleanliness and safety problems, and we take these matters seriously. We noticed that you did not reach out to us when you moved in, so we were not aware of the situation. We encourage users to report any problems immediately upon arrival so that we can step in and help resolve them quickly.

Regarding the listing, we strive to ensure that landlords and property management companies provide accurate information and maintain high standards. Please contact our customer support team so we can assist you further, address the cleaning fee issue, and help improve your living situation.

Your feedback is valuable, and we’re committed to making your renting experience better.

Best regards,
Amélie


Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Landlady Is very friendly and positive

Landlady Is very friendly and positive, room is really nice and comfortable, no complaints

Date of experience: November 01, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Shademi,

Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We're glad to read that the accommodation is comfortable and the landlady is friendly and positive!

Looking forward to assist you again.

Best regards,
Amelie


Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Avoid payments through the platform

While I enjoyed my stay and all direct interactions with the landlord, I regret using HousingAnywhere as a platform for any payments. The handling of payments by the platform is not worth all the hidden fees. The platform charges a 10% "tenant protection fee" upfront and then another 2% fee for any subsequent payments (even for the deposit). However, my last payment of the cleaning fee has failed. They charged my card and the support agent confirmed the transaction but it has remained "in progress" for the past 10 days and the landlord has not received the funds. This delays the return of my deposit by the landlord. Meanwhile the platform keeps sending me reminders that I am late on this payment. The support chat misleads with estimates like "replies within an hour" while my last request is not even read after 2 days. They are unable to cancel the payment and refund me the money, or complete the payment and transfer the funds to the landlord. I understand that keeping the first rent payment on the platform provides a layer of security for the tenants, but it makes no sense to use HousingAnywhere as an intermediary for any subsequent payments.

EDIT: The issue is finally resolved after 12 days. Thank you! I still think that the payment system can be improved. If a payment has been arranged outside of the platform, there should be an easy way for the landlord to mark the payment request as completed, so that tenants do not receive reminders about overdue payments. And if there is an issue with automatic processing through HousingAnywhere and yet a support agent can see the received transfer, there should be a way for the support agent to override the status and mark the request as paid, again so that the landlord sees the status and the tenant doesn't receive reminders.

Date of experience: November 07, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Peter,

Thank you for sharing your feedback and for highlighting both the positive aspects of your experience as well as areas where we can improve. We're glad to hear that your stay and interactions with your landlord were enjoyable.

Regarding the payments through HousingAnywhere, using our platform for ongoing transactions after the initial rent is optional, tenants are welcome to coordinate payments directly with the landlord. The initial “tenant protection fee” is designed to ensure security and provide a safe transaction environment, particularly for the initial rental payment, but subsequent payments do not have to go through the platform unless tenants prefer to continue doing so.

We understand your frustration with the pending payment. When a payment shows as “in progress,” it’s due to processing times between banks and countries, which can vary based on the transaction day and location. While this delay can be inconvenient, rest assured that the payment is en route, and as soon as it is finalized, it will be transferred to the landlord. Unfortunately, we are unable to cancel or refund payments while they’re pending for these reasons.

We also apologize if our support team’s response times have added to the frustration. Our Customer Service team does its best to respond as quickly as possible, but during busy times, replies may take a bit longer than the estimated time shown. We appreciate your patience and assure you that a team member will follow up with you shortly.

Thank you again for your feedback. We take it seriously and will continue to improve our platform and processes. If you have further questions or need more assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,
Amelie


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I paid for using the app

I paid for using the app. However, it didn’t work well at all, as I never received a suitable offer for my ad. Additionally, I wasn’t able to find any good ads myself. That’s the reason I'm discontinuing my use of your service.

Date of experience: October 30, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your feedback.

We strive to ensure our platform provides valuable and relevant connections, so it’s disappointing to hear we didn’t meet your expectations this time.

We’re here to help and always working to improve our service for everyone.

Thank you again for giving us a try and we hope you will be able to find what you are looking for soon enough!

Regards,
Teddy

Advertisement

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

They don’t are clear and don’t respond…

They don’t are clear and don’t respond to the emails neither to the WhatsApp messages. I already paid and I didn’t receive a confirmation message.

Date of experience: October 30, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Nadia,

We’re truly sorry to hear about your frustrating experience. Your concerns are very important to us, and we sincerely apologize for the lack of communication from the advertiser. Please rest assured that we take situations like this seriously.

We encourage you to reach out to our support team as soon as possible so that we can assist in resolving the issue and ensure that your booking is handled appropriately.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we are here to support you every step of the way.

Best regards,
Amelie


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Costly Landlord admin fees

I've been using the Housing Anywhere platform to search for an apartment in Madrid for my daughter who will be going on an Erasmus exchange programme for 6 months.
I was shocked to discover that Landlords were asking to pay admin fees of at least 1 months rent (and even more). I used the platform 2 yrs ago in Berlin and was not charged these fees by the Landlord. It's not clear to me whether it is legal to make the tenant pay these admin fees for short term rents (which I understand are agency fees that should be born by the landlord), but I think it is totally unacceptable that students be made to pay these extra costs. I wrote to Housing Anywhere and the reply was that the fees were set by the Landlord and that they wouldn't be able to provide any explanation as to what they were for.
In the end I found an apartment on Spotahome where the Landlords were not asking for admin fees, I just paid a fee for using the platform which was equivalent to the HA tenant protection fee.

Date of experience: November 02, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Chalice,

Thank you for choosing our platform and for sharing your feedback with us. We appreciate your trust and loyalty, especially as a returning user.

We collaborate with a wide range of property owners, including both private landlords and businesses, each of whom may have different policies regarding fees.
For transparency, any additional fees, such as administration, utilities, or cleaning, are clearly displayed on each listing to help tenants make fully informed decisions.

While we encourage landlords to set fair pricing, these fees are ultimately determined by the individual property owners and vary by location and landlord preference.

We're always here to help clarify any listing details and support tenants in finding options that best suit their needs.

Thank you again for your feedback, and we wish your daughter an incredible experience in Madrid!

Regards,
Teddy


Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Security as a newcomer in Germany with HousingAnywhere

The listings were detailed and accurate, which made my search much easier. One crucial aspect that stood out was the added layer of security provided after depositing money. This feature gave me peace of mind, knowing that my funds were protected throughout the rental process. HousingAywhere’s user-friendly interface and clear communication helped me navigate everything smoothly. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a reliable apartment rental experience!

Date of experience: September 06, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Hi Noé,

Thank you for your thoughtful review and recommendation! We're delighted to hear that the detailed listings, secure payment process, and user-friendly interface made your rental search smooth and worry-free. Providing a safe and reliable experience is our top priority, and it’s wonderful to know that these features gave you peace of mind during your search.

We appreciate your trust in HousingAnywhere and look forward to helping you with any future housing needs. Thank you again for your kind words!

Best,
Jacques


Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent apartment

The apartment is excellent—spacious enough to comfortably accommodate 4 people, with 2 large bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The kitchen is fully equipped and offers plenty of space. The neighborhood is quiet and peaceful, yet still close to major tourist spots. The check-in went smoothly, and I'm happy to have rented the apartment for a year.

Date of experience: October 14, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Hi Camilla,

Thank you for your fantastic review! We're delighted to hear that the apartment met all your expectations, from its spacious layout to its fully equipped kitchen and peaceful neighborhood. We're glad we could help you find the perfect long-term rental!

Best,
Jacques

Advertisement

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Smooth communication, good environment

Since I found this property on the website, I could smoothly continue the process and start my first experience living abroad with a great-condition property. Although there were language barriers for me (a landlord prefers to communicate in Italian than English), she has been quite helpful, and the living environment was exactly what I expected from the website. I highly recommend staying here for those who haven’t experienced a long-term stay in Italy and wish to stay in the city center of Rimini.

Date of experience: September 02, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Hi Yusuke,

Thank you for sharing your experience! We're delighted to hear that our platform made it easy for you to find and secure a property, helping you start your journey living abroad smoothly. It’s wonderful that the property matched your expectations and it's great to hear that the landlord’s support helped bridge any gaps. Thank you for choosing HousingAnywhere!

Best,
Jacques


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Be careful - hidden charges with no way back

Be careful - they charge you, even that you do not know the amount in advance. Description of payment was the rent (incl. bills) and agency fee. You are charged to make a booking. Than you realize, that the fee you had to pay is not the agency fee, but something else and it is not refundable. After that we have got the contract, where we discivered, we will be charged mounthly for tv and we will have to pay 100 - 300 Eur for cleaning. So you have to pay two times fee to get a contract with another charges and there is no way back. Flat looks ok, but the price you pay is much higher then you are told. Before you have a chance to discover it, you are charged without chance to cancel it. This is really bad agency - never again.

Date of experience: October 24, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Daniel,

We understand that unexpected fees and charges can cause frustration, and we apologize if the booking and payment process was not as clear as anticipated. Your feedback is invaluable as it helps us refine our processes to better meet the needs of our users.

To clarify, when booking through our platform, the first month’s rent is processed directly with us. This initial payment confirms the booking and includes a non-refundable tenant protection fee, which safeguards tenants by providing support and assistance throughout the rental period. This fee is designed to offer added security, ensuring that accommodations meet the standards described and that any issues can be promptly addressed.

Additionally, while our listings aim to be comprehensive and transparent, some advertisers may have administrative or other fees that they apply. We make every effort to ensure these fees are disclosed within the listing description to provide as much clarity as possible regarding all expected payments. Our goal is to equip renters with all relevant information upfront, supporting informed decisions that meet both expectations and budget.

We also want to reassure you that we have policies in place to protect tenants if an accommodation does not match the description or if undisclosed charges are introduced post-booking. We encourage all users to reach out to our dedicated support team with any specific concerns; our team is ready to provide personalized assistance to help resolve issues and ensure a smooth rental experience.

Please don’t hesitate to contact our support team directly for any further questions or assistance. We're here to support you and are committed to making your experience as transparent and seamless as possible.

Regards,
Jacques


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Very bad experience

My daughter was coming to Berlin to complete a semester of her business school. On Saturday she booked a listing – 3193595- belonging to Urbanelite and paid 1398 EUR without knowing that we have to pay additional 1000 EUR for fees and cleaning. Monday morning, she landed in Berlin and called to move in. The landlord a certain Selina from Urbanelite asked her to pay 1000 EUR to cover cleaning and other services before check-in. This was a surprise to us. We asked to cancel immediately but Urbanelite refused to cancel. We tried for hours to join the customer service of HousingAnwyere to find a solution. Finally we reached them and simply refused to cancel, refused to reimburse and rent the apartment to someone else.

My daughter was lucky to shelter at her classmate till we find another apartment from a website called HomeLike, much better, cheaper and with good customer service.

For a week time I has multiple email exchange with both HA and Urbanelite trying to get support to find a common ground, alternative solution or refund. Both refused to offer any solution.
This so surprising that when you pay HA, you pay 400EUR that is meant to protect you. We felt everything but protected by HA.

I have read multiple cases of bas experience with HousingAnywhere and It’s very sad to see that young students coming from abroad to Germany and who have limited resources get wronged by HA and landlords such as Urbanelite. My daughter and I add our case to the long list of such experience of misuse, miscommunication and scams from HA and their unscrupulous partners such as Urbanelite.

All in all, we lost 1400 EUR. Please be careful when you use these sites.

Date of experience: October 07, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Lemine,

We’re truly sorry to hear about the distressing experience your daughter had. We understand how frustrating and stressful this situation must have been, especially for a student arriving in a new city. We’d like to clarify that all fees, including administrative and cleaning charges, are clearly mentioned in the listing details before booking, as transparency is a core principle we stand by.

The fees paid to the advertiser are required before move-in, and unfortunately, this is not considered a valid reason for cancellation. Our team made sure to follow the policy outlined at the time of booking. We sincerely regret that this created such an inconvenience and that our support did not meet your expectations.

We appreciate your feedback and will continue working to improve communication and support for situations like these. If there are any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team, and we’ll do our best to assist.

Best regards,
Amelie


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

They never responded to my emails…

They never responded to my emails asking for a refund of the tenant fee for the place I didn't stay in though earlier they said it is flexible and I would be able to request a refund. I waited for half of the day in the chat for 2 days in a row though they have never appeared online as I think they avoid to refund.

Date of experience: September 03, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Briseis,

We're sorry to hear about your experience and apologize for the frustration caused. It’s certainly not our intention to leave any inquiries unanswered or to avoid addressing refund requests.

We regret that you didn't receive timely responses to your emails and faced long wait times in the chat. Please reach out to our support team directly, and we'll prioritize resolving this issue for you as quickly as possible. Your feedback is important to us, and we’re committed to improving our communication and support.

Best regards,
Amélie

Advertisement

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Useful but too pricy

Like:
- Easy to use
- Many listings
Dislike:
- Too pricy, 500€ for 2 months
- HousingAnywhere does not provide a rental contract. The company will not get involved in in case of any issues that could come up in the rental process

Date of experience: October 30, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Binh,

Thank you for your honest feedback! We're glad you found the platform easy to use and appreciated the wide range of listings. We understand your concerns about the fees and the fact that HousingAnywhere does not provide rental contracts or intervene directly in rental disputes. Our aim is to act as a secure intermediary for payments and to connect tenants and landlords, but we’re always looking for ways to improve our service.

Your input is valuable, and we’ll take it into account as we work to make HousingAnywhere even better.

Best regards,
Amelie


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

I never recommend it

Maxi/Alex/Valesca and Philipp on their page of this account it says flexible cancellation and also says you pay for the days you stay. But this is a lie. They took the money from me for the house I didn't stay in and didn't give me my money back even though I didn't have a contract. Don't pay attention to the flexible cancellation text because it's not real. Also, communication is a problem. For some reason, the landlord does not want to give me the money for the house I am not staying in. I recommend you stay away from this site and this account. I still want my money back but they don't want to give it.

Date of experience: October 23, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear,

We’re sorry to hear about your experience, and we understand your frustration regarding the cancellation and refund process. We strive to make our policies as clear as possible, and it’s concerning to hear that the “flexible cancellation” conditions did not match your expectations. It’s important to note that cancellation policies can vary depending on the landlord's terms, and we always encourage users to review these details before booking.

We apologize for the communication issues you faced and for any confusion regarding your situation. We recommend reaching out directly to our support team to review the case and mediate with the landlord to help find a fair resolution. Your feedback is valuable, and we’re committed to addressing this issue and improving our services moving forward.

Best regards,
Amélie


Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Actually I have a coupon that give me a…

Actually I have a coupon that give me a discount of usage on Hausinganywhere I couldn't use it. It was provided by my university University of Europe for Applied Sciences. If you give me my %20 discount I would you appreciate you. Thank you.

Date of experience: September 06, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Öznur,

Thank you for posting your review.

If you’re attending one of our Partner Universities, you can sign up to HousingAnywhere using the sign-up link provided by your university.
Always use the special sign-up link provided by our partner. If you sign up normally by going to our home page, we won’t have any way of connecting you to our partner, and you won’t get a discount.

I will suggest you contact our customer service to make sure you have done it the correct way, they will be able to provide you with answers regarding your subscription.

Regards,
Teddy


Rated 5 out of 5 stars

With the HousingAnywhere i managed to…

With the HousingAnywhere i managed to find a safe and reliable platform in order to find my house.
One person helped me also with a scam immediately

Date of experience: October 19, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Nikolaos,

Thank you for sharing your positive experience with HousingAnywhere! We’re delighted to hear that you found the platform safe and reliable for securing your new home. It's also great to know that the support team promptly assisted you with a scam, ensuring your safety and peace of mind.

Your feedback is invaluable, and we’re glad to have been part of your housing journey!

Best regards,
Amelie

Advertisement

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

BEWARE OF EXCESSIVE FEES, DEPOSITS & CHARGES!!!

HousingAnywhere charges a €599.00 EUR "Tenant Protection Fee" ON EVERY BOOKING. This is a ridiculous amount of money...1/3 of the cost of the rental for one month..."to ensure a smooth experience and problem resolution during your stay." Then, on top of that, the landlords / management companies charge long ridiculous lists of administration fees and deposits for utilities, towel deposits, bedding deposits, "other deposits" and final cleanup fees that increase over the length of stay even though the cleanup work and charges would be exactly the same no matter how long a tenant stayed. And HousingAnywhere holds and makes money off of all the prepaid deposits for the entire length of the stays.

In short, it's extremely difficult to tell how much we would have to pay in advance or be liable for from the long list of charges and deposits on the price breakdown page. So we will not be booking any apartments with HousingAnywhere anymore.

Date of experience: October 19, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Richard,

Thank you for sharing your concerns, and we’re sorry to hear that the fees and charges affected your experience. We understand that the Tenant Protection Fee can seem high, and we aim to provide transparency on its purpose, which is to cover platform maintenance, support, and secure payment processes that help protect tenants throughout their stay.

Regarding the various landlord charges, we encourage property owners to clearly list all fees upfront, so there are no surprises for tenants. We’re constantly working on improving transparency in our listings and price breakdowns to ensure users have a better understanding of the total cost before booking.

We appreciate your feedback, as it helps us identify areas for improvement. We hope you'll consider giving us another chance in the future, and we’re here if you have any further questions or suggestions on how we can enhance the booking experience.

Best regards,
Amélie


Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Save yourself the trouble

This was the worst experience I have ever had: the property is terrible, there is always a problem, and the tenant does not care about anything. There was a leak in the bathroom, of which the tenant was aware, and the solution they provided was to wreck the whole bathroom, which now is impossible to use and asked us to use our neighbor’s bathroom. The conditions of the amenities are terrible: the power goes out, the neighbors throw their trash on the floor, the blinds of my room do not even go down, and the doors of the building do not work how they are supposed to. Housing Anywhere has this property as verified and the tenant too, so now you can't trust this company because they also don't help you at all, now, my only recommendation to everyone is to not use this platform as they don't care about anything but the money. To improve this platform they need to have a more rigorous verified rate and need to check the conditions of the property.

Date of experience: November 01, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Dear Tiago,

We are very sorry to hear about the difficulties you’ve encountered with the property. We understand that dealing with unresolved maintenance issues and discrepancies from the listing can be incredibly frustrating.

Verified properties undergo a process to confirm key listing details, but we recognize that unexpected maintenance issues can arise after the initial verification. To support tenants, our Tenant Protection service covers the first 48 hours after move-in, allowing tenants to report any issues that significantly differ from the listing description. During this period, our team reviews evidence provided to determine if the conditions qualify for a refund based on our Terms and Conditions and Refund Policy.

We have requested additional information from you, as we were unable to provide a more tailored response without further details. If there are discrepancies that weren’t initially captured, our team would be glad to investigate these.

Please reach out directly to our support team so that we can review your specific case in detail and work toward a satisfactory resolution. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to address these concerns.

Regards,
Jacques


Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A Smooth Move-In Experience with Excellent Support and Comfortable Living

My move-in experience has been great. From booking online to picking up the keys and moving in, everything was smooth and transparent, making me feel secure throughout the process. The building is well-maintained, and the landlord is attentive, recently updating the kitchen and adding storage. They conduct regular checks to ensure the place is clean and that tenants respect each other. My roommates are also easygoing, making the living situation comfortable and peaceful. Plus, they provided essentials like a blanket and towel, so I felt at home right away.

Date of experience: October 22, 2024

Reply from HousingAnywhere

Hi Dure,

Thank you for sharing your wonderful experience! We're thrilled to hear that everything from booking to moving in was smooth and transparent, making you feel secure throughout the process. It's great to know that the landlord is attentive with updates and regular checks. We're also glad that your living situation has been comfortable and that thoughtful touches like providing essentials helped you feel at home right away. We're happy we could assist you in finding a new place to call home!

Thank you for choosing HousingAnywhere!

Best,
Jacques