Share a home!
Get FREE
screening
matchmaking
active support
Plus, trade lower rent for household services!
All ages welcome
Serving the following cities and all points in between:
Homesharing success from across the US
How it works
We ask and answer a lot about your needs and preferences
Interview and Screen
We ask even more, clarify, and verify
Match-making
We introduce you to likely matches until one "clicks"
Draft an Agreement
We get everyone on the same page (literally!)
Trial Match
Optional:
Two weeks, no obligation
Matched with Support
Regular check-ins, and plenty of help as needed
More details
1. Apply
Hosts:
Guests:
If you only want to be considered for one of our currently listed rooms/Hosts, just leave a voicemail with the info and statement requested in the green text for that listing on our Available Rooms page. (If you inquired to a specific listing through Facebook, Craigslist, etc, that same requested info and statement will be in the second big response message we will have sent you).
To be considered for future rooms/Hosts, you can apply either online or on our paper form (which we're glad to mail you). Takes ~ 10 minutes.
Here we ask Guests their maximum sustainable monthly rent + utilities. We would NEVER undermine a Guest by disclosing this number to their potential Hosts.
But if a Host offers $350 and a Guest says their max is $300, we will NOT contact that Guest about that room. Make the best "bid" you can that you're 100% confident about, assuming the room/Host were a pretty good fit.
2. Interview/Screen
Hosts: As soon as they apply, we'll interview them at their home. ~ 2 hour time commitment
Guests: As soon as we see that their application is a match for a Host (but not before), we'll interview them at a convenient meeting place. ~ 1.5 hour time commitment
Always for Guests, sometimes for Hosts: We pay for all background checks, which will require a Social Security Number (or ITIN) and a drivers' license/State ID.
3. Matchmaking
We write and run ads for our Hosts (while protecting their privacy), and manage the inquiries to them.
We contact each potential Host about each vetted Guest candidate. We share a lot of relevant specifics, while protecting the Guest's privacy, too.
When a Host agrees to meet with a Guest, we introduce them in person at the Host's home.
4. Draft an Agreement
We work with our matched Host and Guest to create a "Living Together Agreement" to get on the same page from the very start. We can tweak it later on, too.
5. Trial Match (optional)
The Host and Guest may agree that the Guest first moves in for a rent-free trial match of up to two-weeks, bringing just their "road trip stuff."
It’s rent-free because the Host may decline the match and ask the Guest to leave with only a day or two's notice.
Both sides can also agree to end the trial at any time and make the move-in official.
6. Support
Once the match is made and the rental contract with Living Together Agreement are finalized, we're on the hook to support the match over its whole life.
We check-in with each of the clients after the first two weeks, then monthly, and then every two months for the life of the match (whether by phone/video call and/or in-person).
Other must-know info
We do NOT help clients discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or citizenship. As soon as you ask us to do so, we can no longer work with you, so don't.
That's part of why we match folks up based on the specifics of who they are and what they're looking for... so that no one has to be disappointed by vague, misleading labels and categories.
We don't facilitate short-term rentals. Most of our matches are on a monthly rental contract, but we require that all parties must intend for the match to last for at least one year.
Unfortunately, couples and families should be advised that we have never yet managed to match more than one person to one room.
If I ask a client for "the secret password," the answer is "brown M&M's."
Hosts and Guests can be any age.
And Hosts can be renters themselves (if/as the owner/manager allows).
By building a broad, deep pool of qualified applicants, we're able to find the best fit for the criteria you tell us matter most.
"It got to where we simply couldn't afford a home without sharing it. But now after a few years, I actually love having 'neighbors down the hall'!"
- Marta, Host
Why homeshare?
People usually start homesharing for financial benefits, including valuable exchanges of household services for rent.
But research shows they keep doing it for the comforts of just having someone around, new connections... not to mention all the broader community benefits.
Frequently
Asked
Questions
Who's eligible to apply?
We welcome applications for matches in homes within a 1-hour drive of Roseville, including Nevada City, Placerville, Lodi, Dixon, and Yuba City/Marysville.
We only have one eligibility requirement: that we would be glad to match you up with our own mother. If we find any "gray zone" items (e.g; health, criminal, financial) that we would want our own mother to know about before deciding on a match, we'll make positive that the person discloses those items to their potential match at the in-person match introduction, if not sooner.
How much does this cost?
None to you, ever! In fact, matched Hosts and Guests save money by splitting utilities, or even subscriptions, transportation, groceries, or whatever else you establish in your Living Together Agreement.
If this service is free, what's the catch?
We are not paid by Hosts or Guests, but by our funder. That means we act as an "agent" equally to both sides. We work to bring fairness, truth, and flexibility to a room rental market that is unfair, sneaky, and rigid for Hosts and Guests alike.
How choosy can I be about my match?
We do NOT help clients discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or citizenship. As soon as you ask us to do so, we can no longer work with you, so don't.
And anyways, choosing by vague, general labels like these can only cut you off from the perfect housemate. We get so much info exactly so that you can choose based on the specific pro's and con's that actually matter for each possible person/home/agreement.
What about COVID?
We gladly accommodate requests to conduct business remotely, however feasible.
We also help Hosts and Guests agree on reasonable COVID rules they can both live by (vaccination preferences, just-in-case quarantine plans, etc.).
Note: Although we don't require COVID vaccination and booster, almost all of our Hosts do.
How long does it take to find a match?
It depends on:
how particular your needs/abilities are
e.g; desired rent, pets, etc.
how many Hosts/Guests are working with HomeShare American River
You can help us and yourself by spreading the word about us
How long will the match last?
All matches are on a monthly rental contract, but the match must be be intended to last for at least one year (assuming both parties hold up their end).
That said, some programs' matches last an average of 3.5 years... that's a lot of satisfied housemates!
What if one or both of us want to end the match?
Our template rental contract makes it clear how matches end, and we can help facilitate move-outs to some degree. We use why the match didn't work to re-match folks successfully... as long as they held themselves as good as their word.
What services can people exchange?
So many! Things you take for granted doing every day may be out of reach to others (literally!). You don't have to be an IT expert to open up the Internet to someone for the first time. You don't have to be a therapist to make someone feel heard. And don't forget that Hosts can provide services to Guests, too!
While we don't get involved in medical care (e.g; meds management), we are happy to work with In-Home Supportive Services recipients and providers to augment and support their relationship.
What does your background check include?
credit report
previous address history
bad checks
CA evictions
nationwide/Federal criminal, sex offender, terrorist search
And we pay for it!
Will I be safe sharing a home?
Historically, homesharing has been remarkably safe. And homesharers usually report that living with another person actually makes them feel safer in their home than living alone.
Can I talk with someone who's done this before?
Easy... all of our team have personally shared a home many times, and are glad to discuss it!
