FAQ

1. About My Room Abroad

1.1. What is My Room Abroad?

A platform that connects internationals with certified landlords in dream destinations. This platform makes the painful process of finding and booking a room abroad safe and easy for foreigners. It simplifies the search for accommodation abroad and allows up front booking of rooms for a 1 to 12 months period.

1.2. What are the dream destinations?

A dream destination is defined as an exotic destination for Westerners, where they want to go back once they left. Asia Pacific and South America hold most of the dream destinations.

1.3. What are the levels of verification?

My Room Abroad has four different verification levels:
  • 1. Not yet verified: It means that we are still looking to confirm the landlord's personal information. We didn’t call nor meet this landlord. We can’t insure his trustworthiness.
  • 2. Verified: It means we've already verified the landlord's email address, phone number and government-issued identification. We have called them or met them in person and we consider them to be trustworthy.
  • 3. Visited: It means that someone from the My Room Abroad’s team has personally visited and photographed and/or took a video of the apartment.
  • 4. Exclusive: It means a place is fully managed by My Room Abroad and is only available on our platform.
You can check each apartment's verification level in every listing under the Description section.

1.4. Can I visit the room before booking it?

Usually, My Room Abroad does not provide the in person visit services. We believe online visits are a gain of time for both landlords and tenants. Each room on our platform has a detailed description and many even have videos to show the wear and tear of the house. If the room is not like advertised in the description on the website, there's a 24h guarantee. Refer to the cancellation policy section: “What if the room is not like advertised on the platform?”for more info on the guarantee. However, if you really want to visit the apartment physically, we can usually arrange this for you, however you will be charged a visit fee for this service

2. Booking with My Room Abroad

2.1. Can I change a booking I just made to another room?

Once you have made a booking, the platform does not allow you to make another one. However, if your booking is not yet accepted by the landlord, you can cancel it. Once you cancel your booking, you can make a new booking on the platform.

2.2. Do I have to be a student to book a room through MRA?

Not at all! You can book a room with My Room Abroad even if you are not a student! Anybody willing to rent a room for at least a 1 to 12-month period can do it with My Room Abroad.

2.3. With whom do I sign a contract?

The tenant signs a lease contract with the landlord.

2.4. What is in it for the me?

The platform is a safe and easy way to get in contact with certified landlords. You can book your room abroad from your home country in only a few days. You sign an English contract and you (or your parents) can make online rent payments which solves the problem of withdrawals limits and leaves you a bigger cash budget for other fun activities. Furthermore, you can relax and camly prepare your stay abroad knowing that you will have a place to sleep when you arrive in this faraway country.

3. Fee and payment

3.1. To whom shall I pay the rent, deposit and and other fees?

All the payments will be processed through My Room Abroad. My Room Abroad acts as an intermediary between the tenant and the landlord. All payments received from the tenant are transferred to the landlord in his own currency.

3.2. How do I pay the rent, deposit and other rental fees?

We currently have three payment options for the rent, the deposit and the service fee:
  • Online via credit card
  • Local bank transfer (in host's country currency)
  • cash deposit at the bank in your host's country currency.

3.3. Who pays the deposit back to me?

As the deposit have been transferred by My Room Abroad to the Landlord, it will be paid back to you by the landlord (most likely in cash in the local currency). You will recover the total amount of the deposit only if everything is in order and nothing was broken as stipulated in your contract.

3.4. When do I recover the deposit?

You will recover the deposit at the end of the contract period. If you wish to recover your deposit on your credit card, this is possible if you paid the total amount with the last 60 days with your credit card. Please discuss this with your landlord and check with us whether you are eligible for a Credit Card refund

3.5. What is the one-time service fee?

The one-time service fee is a one time 20% fee My Room Abroad charges to cover the platform maintenance cost. Since we want to help you, we do not overcharge you. We are actually a lot cheaper than other agents in Asia who charge 50% to 200% of the monthly rent for their service.

4. During my stay

4.1. Can my friends visit during my stay?

This depends on your landlord's policy. Most of them allow visitors but some put conditions to it that are clearly stipulated in the contract. For more information about your house rules, ask your MRA housing expert or contact us at hello@myroomabroad.com

4.2. If there are any arguments with the landlord, will you help me?

We are of course always available to give you advice! You can contact us to help resolve the problem as an impartial intermediary. If no settlement is possible and legal action is needed, this will be between the landlord and you. My Room Abroad is the platform connecting both parties. The team will help you the best they can. However, in case of legal dispute, they will not intervene. This nevertheless rarely happens as we only work with trustworthy landlords.

5. Cancellation

5.1. Is it possible to cancel my booking?

You can always cancel a booking you have just made as long as it has not been accepted by the landlord. To do so, click on the “cancel my booking” button in your booking request. However, once the booking has been accepted by the landlord, it is not possible to cancel it without notice anymore. The cancelation policy is proper to each apartment/owner. Therefore, it is always explained in the house rules. Ask your MRA housing expert for more information on your landlord's cancelation policy.

5.2. What if the room is not like advertised on the platform?

If there were to be any differences between the listing on My Room Abroad and the reality, you have 24 hours, starting from your move in date, to notify My Room Abroad. A member of the team will evaluate your complaint as fast as possible. If the complaint is deemed valid, you will be reimbursed and My Room Abroad will help you find another room (no service fee will be charged).

5.3. What happens if my booking is canceled?

Once you have made a booking request, the landlord has the right to decline it either because you do not fit his tenant profile or because the room has already been booked by someone else. In this case, you are able to make a new booking request on the platform. In some rare cases, booking might be cancelled by the landlord after being accepted if an unexpected event happens to the property or its landlord. If it is the case, you will be notified immediately and everything you paid will be fully refunded to you. As you will need to find a new place, we will give you other available options.

6. After your stay

6.1. What if my lease period is longer than my stay?

Some people only stay for 4.5 months while most lease contract have a minimum length of 5 months. You can vacate the room before the end of your contract and receive your full deposit back only if you have paid the rent for the total period of your lease. If the lease period greatly exceed your stay (for instance you have a 1 year contract but only stay 5 months), you have two solutions. Either you break your contract and the landlord then has the right to keep your deposit. We do not recommend this option! Most of the landlords will allow you to find a tenant to take over your lease contract (please verify the landlord's subleasing policy before signing a contract with a lease period exceeding your stay!) The new tenants will then sign a new contract with the landlord for the remaining period of your contract. We can help you find your next tenant by posting your room back online.

6.2. What if I want to extend my contract?

Usually landlords give the priority to the current tenant to extend their contract. You need to notify your landlord if you want to extend your lease and the details of the arrangement are to be discussed between the both of you. Most landlords will ask to be notified one month before the contract end, but some might only want to be notified 2 weeks in advance. To know when you should tell your landlord you want to stay longer in the room, feel free to ask you MRA housing expert or your landlord directly.