Sending and Receiving Messages
Roommates.com makes it safe and easy to communicate with potential roommates through our on-site Message Center. This handy guide is intended to walk you through some of the basics of sending and receiving messages through the Message Center. Let's get started!
Sending a Message
Sending messages is always free regardless of your membership level! To send a message to a match you are interested in, please follow these steps:
- Login to your account.
- Click on the profile of the user you are interested in communicating with.
- Locate and click on the "Message Me" button on the right-hand side of their profile (if you've already contacted the user, this button will be labeled "View Thread").
- Compose your message to the user in the text field.
- Click on the "Send Message" button.
When you send a message to a member, a "Conversation Thread" is generated in your Inbox. Your sent message will be visible, and any replies from the member will appear beneath it. This creates a "conversational" layout (in that your sent messages and the other user's messages are displayed in the order they were sent), which helps to keep messages organized and easy to follow.
Reading a Message
You'll receive full access to any received messages if you decide to upgrade to any of our VIP Membership options! When you receive a new message, you'll automatically receive a "New Message" notification email regardless of your membership status. To read your messages, please follow these steps:
- Login to your account.
- Click on the "Messages" tab at the top (if using a laptop/desktop) or tap the three horizontal lines in the upper-left, and then tap "Messages" on the following page (if using a mobile device).
- Choose the conversation you wish to review.
- Here, you can read messages that they've sent to you and respond.
A few important things to keep in mind regarding our Message Center:
- New users need to complete Email Verification in order to use the Message Center. If necessary, please refer to our Help Center page here for email verification instructions.
- All Messages are retained through the Message Center for 120 days. If you need to hold on for messages longer, we recommend taking screenshots for your own personal records.
- If you see a received message labeled, "This content has been removed for violating our terms and conditions", this indicates that the sender of the message has been removed by our staff due to a Terms of Service violation, and the content of their message(s) has been fully blocked for your safety.
- You're free to include personal contact information in messages you send through the site, but we strongly recommend that you do so with extreme caution, as providing others with personal information can pose major risks (including unwanted solicitations, possible spam, and online fraud). For more information, check out our Safety Tips page.