Riley Gibson
At HomeShare Online, we’re all about helping people live wider lives and embrace change. As a team, we challenge ourselves to do the same. That means always being open to feedback, being willing to take risks and sometimes even changing course.
In 2020, we relaunched the HomeShare Online experience to add insurance, rent auto-pay and new pricing. Since then, we’ve been paying close attention to what our customers say and how they interact with our site. What we've heard is that HomeShare Online users:
- Would rather comparison-shop for insurance.
- Already have preferred apps for sending and receiving rent.
- Come to HomeShare Online to learn about homesharing and find a compatible housemate
So, we rolled up our sleeves and got back to work with a focus on making matching even better and providing more guidance, tools and resources for happy homesharing. Very soon, we’re launching a new version of HomeShare Online based on your feedback. Here’s what you need to know about our new pricing and features.
In this article:
What's new? A summary of the changes
A new look and feel
We gave our website and app a visual refresh, with updated colors, typography and custom illustrations. As Christine Ramirez, our VP of Product and Customer Success, said:
It was important for us to illustrate concepts and convey sentiments that expand the picture of what homesharing looks like and who does it. By weaving in whimsy, we wanted to reinforce the idea that homesharing can be an option that offers new and exciting opportunities vs. an option to pursue only as a last resort.
Learn more about our design refresh on our blog.
A better website
You can expect a more responsive experience on the HomeShare Online website, reflecting a ground-up rebuild to improve security, accessibility and ease of use. Our goal is to provide a home for customers through their homesharing journey, and that requires a seamless site experience.
An updated matching experience
We’ve designed a new version of our dashboard around an improved matching algorithm focused on reviewing and vetting multiple potential housemates at once. You’ll see more robust data around your matches front and center when you log in.
An info-packed Help Center
We’ve built an incredible new Help Center with account support, FAQs and tips on preparing to homeshare and live together harmoniously. We’ll be adding new articles and updating content regularly to make it as simple and useful as possible.
Improved vetting tools
We’ve invested in streamlining and improving the vetting tools we offer to help you make the right decisions for your homesharing experience.
- Our whole background check process got an overhaul to make it simpler and more understandable, providing education and clarity at every touchpoint. Learn more about background checks.
- We’ve also simplified the steps to verify your identity and added an ID verification profile badge so you can see which users have taken that extra step. Learn more about identity verification.
More flexible agreements
We’ve replaced our traditional lease creator—which can feel overly formal and ill-fitting for a homesharing relationship—with the Nest Easy Homesharing Agreement™, a template built specifically for the needs of homesharers. Hosts using HomeShare Online Plus can work with a HomeShare Online expert to fill out their Agreement or download the template to create one offline with their housemate. Learn more about homesharing agreements.
Simpler pricing
Here’s the big one. We’ve heard your feedback that our previous percent of rent payment model was overly complicated, so we’ve returned to a subscription model. We worked hard to design a model that provides tangible benefits for paying users without preventing free users from accessing homesharing essentials. We’re proud to announce HomeShare Online Essential and HomeShare Online Plus, designed to address both of those needs.
HomeShare Online Essential includes all these features for free:
- For hosts:
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- List a space
- View homeseeker ShareScore™ compatibility ratings
- Reply to unlimited messages from homeseekers
- Access chat and phone support 7 days a week
- Background checks available for $29.99 (results good for 90 days)
- For homeseekers:
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- List a profile
- View host ShareScore compatibility ratings
- Unlimited message sends and replies to hosts
- Access chat and phone support 7 days a week
- Background checks available for $29.99 (results good for 90 days)
HomeShare Online Plus includes everything in HomeShare Online Essential, plus the following:
- For hosts ($24.95/month):
-
- Background checks included (normally $29.99 each)
- Send unlimited messages and replies to homeseekers
- Customizable Nest Easy Homesharing Agreement™ template
- For homeseekers ($14.95/month):
-
- Background checks included (normally $29.99 each)
Updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
To support all the changes discussed in this article, we made some updates to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
- The Privacy Policy updates make it easier for you to understand the information we collect, use and share, and they also give you more options for managing how your information is handled. They include:
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- More detail about the information we collect and your rights with respect to that information
- More transparency about information we may share with HomeShare Online community partners (to improve our service and offer relevant support) and Finance of America (our parent company)
- A new personal information preference page where you can opt out of different types of marketing emails and/or sharing your information with community partners or our parent company
- The Terms of Use updates reflect the evolution of our features, services and pricing.
What’s not changing?
The core features of HomeShare Online are here to stay, including:
- Free access to the essentials of homesharing—listing, matching, messaging and finding a housemate
- ID verification
- Background checks
- Secure messaging
- Support and education across all steps of the homesharing journey
- Our commitment to helping people live a wider life
FAQ for existing HomeShare Online users
When are these changes taking effect?
The new HomeShare Online site is launching on July 11, 2022. You can expect the site to be inaccessible from 9 am to 1 pm ET on that day as the updates are being published. Listing and profile photos will be reuploading throughout the day, so if some of your photos are missing, don't be alarmed. They will return!
How will my account be impacted?
If you're currently using HomeShare Online, your account will not be impacted by the updates to the HomeShare Online site. When you log in, you will notice that the site looks cleaner and easier to use, but your account itself will not change. Your profile/listing will still be intact and you will still be able to see all your messages. If you've taken a background check, you will also still have access to your results.
Will I have to pay?
Nope! Your account will transition to the HomeShare Online Essential plan, giving you free access to the HomeShare Online features you're used to. Background checks will still be $29.99 each, or included in the price of HomeShare Online Plus if you decide to upgrade.
Do I need to take any action?
Nope—just enjoy the improvements to our site and let us know how you like it!
More resources
For tips and links to additional homesharing resources including payment processors, insurance providers, homesharing education and more: get the tip sheet.
Have other questions about what changed and why? Drop us a line at help@homeshareonline.org, message the chat box on our website or call or text (720)-703-9389.
🧠 Related articles
About HomeShare Online FAQ | HomeShare Online Subscription FAQ | Feathering the Nest: A Look at HomeShare Online's Brand Refresh
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | HomeShare Online Community Guidelines