How and Why We Vet Real Estate Listings

Note from Stephanie:

When Listings Project first began 20+ years ago it was just me on my teal green iMac G3 with a dial-up connection. I would receive listings via my yahoo email address, cut and paste them into a Microsoft word doc to format them, and then cut and paste them back into my yahoo email address to send to my artist friends. Eventually, I began editing the listings and asking follow-up questions about them, too, to make it easier for members of my community to find space to live in.

That same hands-on, curatorial approach is still a part of how we vet listings today. The foundation of Listings Project is personal listings sent out to personal people. In this article, we’d like to tell you about how we use our vetting process to preserve this intimate and communal approach. 

We hope that learning more about how and why we vet listings will help you connect with and feel at home in our community. 

~ Stephanie Diamond
Founder / CEO of Listings Project

Photo by Gus Powell

Why we vet listings

One of the things that makes Listings Project stand out from every other real estate platform is how carefully we vet our real estate listings.

Vetting is at the core of what we do. It’s how we take care of and protect our community. Whether you are looking for a space, are hoping to find a new tenant, or want to connect with potential roommates, we are here to make sure that every listing you see is thoughtful, inclusive, and personal. You deserve to find a space that you consider a welcoming home, which is why our vetting process sets a high bar for how we treat each other as we search for and share space.

Quote by Bettina Makalintal, Vice Article

Listings Project Community Note

Please note that while we vet every listing, each Lister is responsible for screening fellow Listers, subscribers, or others who are viewing or responding to opportunities on this site. Listings Project expects all Listers in our community to hold themselves accountable to our Community Agreements. You should also make sure to complete your own due diligence before making an agreement with any Lister.

How we vet real estate listings

The first thing to know about vetting at Listings Project is that a real person reads every single listing and corresponds individually with Listers. Here are the main areas we look out for when vetting a listing that we’ll dive into in this blog: 

1. Reviewing listings for clarity and transparency 

2. Making sure the listing complies with our Community Agreements

3. Assessing that the rental price is in line with market rates for comparable spaces in your area

Photo by Jazz Atkin

Reviewing listings for clarity and transparency

Part of our vetting is making sure that all listings are clear on:

• Who is posting

• Who would be responsible for corresponding with our community

• What is being offered

• What the rental process entails

We want people in our community to have a clear understanding of who they’re communicating with during the rental process and how they are connected to the space. This helps build trust and makes it easier for everyone to know what to expect throughout the process. 

We also check to make sure the listing is clear and transparent, that the listing is in the right category, and that photos represent the space.

Photo by Siobhan OLoughlin

Ensuring listings follow our Community Agreements

Once we’re confident that you have a direct relationship to the listing, we personally review it (yes, we have real eyes on every listing) to make sure it complies with our Community Agreements. 

Part of this means taking good care to ensure your listing doesn’t include any discriminatory language. 

For example, in certain jurisdictions, when looking for a roommate, the tenant can share whether they prefer to live with someone with a shared gender identity.

Similarly, when it comes to pet policies, our listings clarify that service and support animals are permitted where required by human rights laws. We encourage our Listers to learn more about assistance animals and tenants rights to make sure their listing can be equitable for anyone with disabilities. 

We also remain committed to posting transparent, direct, no-fee listings that are in line with our Community Agreements and our Terms of Use. 

Listings Project Community Tip

In order to ensure clarity and transparency, if we have any general questions or concerns during the vetting process, we’ll personally reach out to the Lister about it. For this reason, we recommend Listers keep a close eye on their inbox after their listing is submitted. 

After we hear from the Lister and learn more about the listing, we may ask for listing modifications depending on the situation, or confirm that the listing is approved.

Photo by Rose Zhang

Assessing a Real Estate listing's rental rate

As part of our vetting process, we will personally review market rates for comparable spaces in your area. 

While we understand that each space is unique, we encourage all Listers to evaluate their listing prices and carefully consider the effect they are having on our community. As a result, we follow up with any listings that we deem overpriced to learn more about their pricing structure and the Lister’s expenses.

Listings Project Community Tip for Sublet Listings

We understand that there may be personal costs associated with a sublet, such as utilities, housekeeping, toiletries, and furnishings to consider. When it comes to pricing sublets, we ask that listings do not include passive income. We recommend taking the monthly amount that you pay in rent and utilities, and scaling that price to the length of the sublease. For example, if your monthly rent is $1000 and utilities are $100 per month, you should charge $2,200 for a two-month sublet.

What to keep in mind

While we want to make sure listings are personal, inclusive, and in line with our Community Agreements, it’s important to keep in mind that Listings Project does not run background checks, financial checks, or any other investigations relating to the Lister or their listing. When connecting with fellow Listers on Listings Project, every Lister is responsible for verifying information on their own behalf. Whether you are the owner, tenant, or subletter, here are some tips to keep in mind when renting a space on Listings Project.