Opening your home
Here is the whole journey, step by step, and what you can do at each one.
Start your listing
Create your account and tell us about your home: the room, a rough rent, your neighborhood, and how long you can offer the space. The Terms section lets you set your house rules, including an optional background check requirement. Nothing is shared with anyone until you submit, and you can save and come back any time.
What you can do here
- Describe your home, the room, and a rough weekly rent
- Choose short-term or long-term availability (long-term = 30+ days)
- Optionally require a background check in the Terms section
- Save your progress and finish later
- Submit when you are ready for our team to review
Book your phone interview, then your site tour
Once you submit, your dashboard shows your next step. First you book a short phone interview so we can learn about your home and answer your questions. After that call, you book a quick site tour. Each button opens our scheduling page so you can pick a time that works for you.
What you can do here
- Book your phone interview from the Step 1 card
- After the call, book your site tour from the Step 2 card
- Check your listing status any time (Under review, then Live)
- Reply to any email, or write safehaven@werqt.org, with questions
How matching works
You do not browse renters, and renters do not browse you. Your navigator reviews everyone and only introduces a renter we believe is a genuine fit. For everyone's safety, you will only ever see a renter's first name and the details they have chosen to share, never their full identity.
What you can do here
- Trust that every introduction is hand-made by your navigator
- Know that a renter only ever sees your home's neighborhood until a match is confirmed
Meet your match, then move in
When we introduce a renter, they appear on your dashboard. Tell us if you are interested or it is not a fit. If you both want to move forward, your navigator handles the pre-mediation meeting and the agreement, then you confirm move-in. Following 30 days of a successful placement, Portland grant homes can apply for a $1,000 home sharing grant from United Way of Columbia Willamette.
What you can do here
- Mark a matched renter Interested or Not a fit
- Your navigator sets up the pre-mediation meeting and the agreement
- Pre-mediation is a 60 to 90 minute facilitated session where you and your tenant write the Mutual Living Agreement together
- After pre-mediation, we send the Home Sharing Agreement and Mutual Living Agreement for electronic signature
- Once everyone signs, the signed agreement is attached to your Agreements page
- Confirm move-in when you are ready
- Expect friendly check-ins at 2 weeks, 30, 60, and 90 days
If your home is in Portland
If your home is in Portland, you may qualify for a one-time $1,000 home sharing grant from United Way of Columbia Willamette after your tenant has been with you for 30 days. Your navigator will walk you through the eligibility steps.
What you can do here
- Following 30 days of a successful placement, you can apply for the $1,000 home sharing grant from United Way of Columbia Willamette
- Weekly rent is capped at $200 including utilities, and there is no security deposit
- Your property must be registered with Portland's Rental Registration Program (Schedule R)
- At 30 days we send you a confirmation letter, which you submit with a self-attestation form to HomeShare@unitedway-pdx.org
- The Portland Housing Bureau confirms, and United Way pays
- You confirm your eligibility from your dashboard