Your money and identity, protected end to end.
Sharelet Space is a verified marketplace for shared housing: rooms, sublets, shared homes, and entire apartments. Unlike a classifieds board, the deposit, the rent, and the people are all protected inside the app. Here's exactly how.
What Sharelet is
A place to find a room, apartment, sublet, or roommate with people who are actually verified, with the security deposit held safely in the middle, like escrow, and rent paid in-app with receipts. Every protection below is built in, not an add-on you have to remember.
Everyone is verified, and it's not optional
Sharelet is verified-people-only. Before anyone can host or move in, we check who they are, the way a bank would.
- Every account is email-verified (Level 1). Government-ID verification with a live selfie match is Level 2, and an added background check is Level 3. Each level shows as a badge other members can see.
- The ID check (about $5) and background check (about $35) are handled by our partners Stripe and Checkr. If we can't verify you, the fee is refunded automatically.
- We never ask for your Social Security number. You enter sensitive details directly on the screening partner's secure portal, so Sharelet never sees or stores them.
Your deposit is held in escrow, not handed to a stranger
The number-one way people lose money in housing is a deposit sent to someone who vanishes. Sharelet makes that impossible.
- The deposit is funded through secure checkout and held by Sharelet in escrow. It is NOT paid to the host at move-in.
- At move-out it's released based on the real condition of the place. Both sides add timestamped move-in and move-out photos, so nobody can invent damage after you've gone.
- A host has 14 days to return it or propose itemized deductions with photos. Do nothing, and the full deposit auto-returns to the renter.
- Disagreements are decided against our published deduction standards, and both parties get the written reasoning plus a 48-hour window to add evidence before any money moves.
Money stays on Sharelet, where it's protected
Every payment, the deposit and the monthly rent, runs through the app. That's what keeps the protections working.
- Rent is paid in-app by bank debit or card, with receipts and an optional autopay. Sharelet never takes a cut of your rent or your deposit principal.
- Any message or listing that pushes you to pay off-platform, wire money, or move the conversation elsewhere is flagged automatically. Off-platform is where scams live.
- Because funds actually clear before a deposit shows as held, there are no bounced checks or fake payment screenshots.
Scams are screened out before they reach you
Our Scam Shield reviews every listing and message so the obvious traps never make it to your inbox.
- Listings are scored for risk: off-platform payment pressure, urgency tactics, contact details hidden in the text, prices far below the local median, or paper-thin descriptions.
- Messages are screened too, and anything steering you off Sharelet is caught.
- Reporting a listing or person is confidential, and our team reviews every report.
Fees are simple and shown up front
No surprise charges, no cut of your rent. Here's every fee, in one place.
- Deposit protection: a one-time 5% fee ($5–$99), paid by the renter, covering the escrow protection.
- Rent: a flat $9.99 for bank debit or 3% for card. The fee is always shown before you pay.
- Verification: about $5 (ID) and $35 (background), one-time, refunded if verification fails.
- That's it. Sharelet never quietly skims your deposit principal or your rent.
Straight answers
Is Sharelet Space legit?
Yes. Sharelet Space (shareletspace.com) is a real verified marketplace for shared housing: rooms, sublets, shared homes, and entire apartments. Every member is identity-checked, security deposits are held in escrow rather than paid directly to a host, and rent and deposits are paid through the app with receipts. It is not an off-platform classifieds board; the transaction and its protections happen inside Sharelet.
Who holds my security deposit?
Sharelet holds it in escrow, never the host directly. It is funded through secure checkout, held safely, and released at move-out based on the documented condition of the place. If a host proposes deductions, they must itemize them with photos, and unresolved disagreements are judged against Sharelet's published deduction standards.
Does Sharelet ask for my Social Security number?
No, never. Identity verification is a photo of your government ID plus a live selfie, handled by Stripe. For the optional background check you enter details directly on Checkr's secure portal, so Sharelet never sees or stores your SSN.
Are payments protected, and do they stay on the platform?
Yes. The deposit and monthly rent are both paid in-app through secure checkout, with receipts. Anything that pushes you to pay off-platform is automatically flagged, and keeping payments on Sharelet is exactly what keeps the deposit escrow and dispute protections working.
How are renters and hosts verified?
Every account is email-verified (Level 1). Level 2 adds government-ID verification with a live selfie match, and Level 3 adds a background check. Verification is mandatory to host or move in, and each level is shown as a badge, so you always know who you're dealing with.
What happens if there's a dispute over the deposit?
Either side can open a dispute while the deposit is held. Decisions are made against Sharelet's published deduction standards, using the sealed move-in photo baseline. Before any money moves, both parties receive the written reasoning and a 48-hour window to add new evidence.
Built on infrastructure you already trust
We don't reinvent the risky parts. Identity and payments run on established providers, not homegrown code.
- Stripe Powers identity verification (government ID and live selfie) and processes all payments and escrowed deposits.
- Checkr Runs the optional background check on its own secure portal, so Sharelet never sees your sensitive documents.
Want the details?
The plain-words walkthrough, the safety center, and the exact deposit rules are all public.
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