Overpriced and substandard
Response from developer
We are sorry you couldn't find what you were looking for on the HousingAnywhere app
Review of HousingAnywhere – My Experience as a Student in Berlin
First Room Experience
The apartment had 7–8 tenants sharing one kitchen and one bathroom. This made daily living quite difficult. Cleanliness was a major issue from the beginning. When I moved in, I had to clean everything myself before settling in. The floors were clearly not mopped—it was obvious from how dirty my wipes became.
Living with so many tenants also made it hard to maintain hygiene in shared spaces. Not everyone cleaned up after themselves, and basic sanitation standards were not met.
Another issue is transparency: the exact property address is not provided before payment. You only see an approximate location on the map. I only discovered the actual address after paying the rent and deposit—and it turned out to be far from my university.
I did take photos and videos when moving in, but I regret not documenting the condition of the mattress. This later became a problem.
Deposit Issues
After moving out, I thoroughly cleaned the room (vacuumed, mopped, and documented everything). I was told the deposit would be returned within 8 weeks—which already feels excessive.
After waiting, I followed up and was told my deposit had been transferred to my new room without my knowledge or consent. This was never communicated beforehand.
When I challenged this and provided proof of paying a new deposit, they later claimed the deposit had already been refunded earlier—without any receipt or confirmation. Coincidentally, I only received the refund after I followed up.
To make things worse, they deducted €110 for a mattress replacement, claiming I didn’t report its condition—even though it was already worn when I moved in.
Second Room Experience
I moved into a new room and followed the same routine: documenting and cleaning everything upon arrival. Again, the room was not properly cleaned—the floor was dirty, and the room smelled strongly of cigarette smoke.
I reported this, and someone came to inspect it, but the only advice given was to “air it out.” This was not practical, especially during winter. I ended up spending my own money on charcoal bags and a humidifier, and it took nearly three months to fully remove the smell.
The balcony was also left dirty with leaves everywhere. It really felt like no proper cleaning or preparation was done before I moved in.
Overall Concerns
It seems like rooms are not properly cleaned or maintained between tenants. Additionally, tenants may be unfairly charged for pre-existing wear and tear if they don’t document everything in detail.
Key Takeaways
Document everything when you move in (photos and videos of all items, including mattress condition)
Track your deposit closely and follow up if needed
Keep all payment receipts
Clean thoroughly before using anything
Ask as many questions as possible (exact location, number of tenants, gender mix, etc.)
Final Thoughts
While HousingAnywhere may seem convenient at first, my experience shows that there are serious issues with transparency, cleanliness, and deposit handling. Proceed with caution and make sure you protect yourself throughout the process.
Good luck finding a decent apartment—especially in Berlin.
Terrible map functionality
Response from developer
Hi! sorry to hear you had a negative experience, and we agree, searching city-by-city can be a bit limiting. Our team is working on improving the map experience to make searching larger areas effortless. Keep an eye out for upcoming updates.
Ужасно
A scam?
Response from developer
Hello, we're very sorry for the frustration. Verification is essential for a safe platform. We use a secure partner called Stripe for this, and automated flags can occur if multiple accounts are created or info doesn't match. To resolve the block, we request that you email support@housinganywhere.com so we can help you get started. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding in keeping our platform safe.
STAY AWAY STAY SAFE
If you're reading this Yvan you should be ashamed.
Response from developer
Hello, we are very sorry that you lost money on your booking. Based on the numbers you've shared, something doesn't add up, as we only charge the first month's rent and the Tenant Protection fee, which cannot add up to 2,150. So you're right to be concerned about the charges. Also, the situation you describe is exactly why we ask tenants to keep conversations on the platform so that our Tenant Protection can keep you safe. It sounds like you may have already been in touch with our team, but we urge you to contact us at support@housinganywhere.com with your booking details so we can take action and fully review what happened here.
A Platform for Slumlords
Response from developer
Hello, we are sorry to hear about your experience with this property, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention. When we receive such claims, our team reviews the situation carefully against our platform policies and works with both parties to find a resolution. We have looked into this matter and are sorry that the solution offered was not satisfactory to you. Nonetheless, your feedback helps us improve our processes and support, and we will continue to refine our policies and communication to prevent similar experiences in the future. We wish you the best in your future housing search.
Terrible Prices and Lies
Response from developer
Dear Alejandro, we're sorry to hear about your experience with your landlord. We appreciate you sharing this feedback with us. To ensure that we can help you and future tenants, could you please email us at support@housinganywhere.com with your booking number? Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.
Terrible
Response from developer
Hello, and sorry to hear about your experience. We would like to support you with this issue and we’d appreciate it if you could write back to us at support@housinganywhere.com.
€850 for Noise, No Help, and a Useless “Tenant Protection” Fee
I requested cancellation and got ignored. Federica denied my claim saying noise “isn’t valid,” then disappeared. No follow-up, no help. When I wanted to move out, they offered other listings only if I paid another month’s rent plus another fee.
They also allow landlords to ask for deposits outside the platform — meaning if anything goes wrong, you’re on your own. Luckily, I avoided that trap.
Support was chaotic — Mia, Tom, Linda, Mohamed… no consistency, no ownership, no results.
HousingAnywhere offers zero protection. Their so-called tenant support is just a marketing slogan. If anything goes wrong, you pay for it — twice. Avoid this app and platform.
Be aware!
So Schlecht & Überflüssig
jetzt habe ich mir die App gedownloadet und muss feststellen, dass es ein billiger Klon der website ist, viele Reiter und Funktionen Bugs haben und sich gar nicht öffnen lassen. Weiterhin kann man gar nicht zwischen Vermieter und Mieter Ansicht flüssig wechseln und Statistiken über Visibilität gibt es auch nicht. Der AM hatte mir mitgeteilt die Änderung der Provisionsvergütung (früher 25pz der ersten Miete, jetzt 8pz des gesamten Vertragswertes zzgl Steuern) für HA würde aufgrund dieser App stattfinden-so werden insbesondere Vermieter schlechter gestellt, die länger als 1Monat vermieten wollen- Einfach reine Abzocke!!!- also ich suche mir schnellstmöglich eine neue Plattform und wie gesagt die App ist einfach nur grottig und überflüssig um damit so eine Preiserhöhung zu gerechtfertigen
Response from developer
Lieber DragonSith88, es tut uns sehr leid zu hören, dass Ihre Erfahrung mit HousingAnywhere nicht Ihren Erwartungen entsprochen hat. Bitte wenden Sie sich direkt an unser Support-Team unter support@housinganywhere.com, damit wir Ihnen weiterhelfen können. Wir würden Ihnen gerne helfen und weitere Einzelheiten von Ihnen erfahren.
Abzocke
Ekelhaft!
Response from developer
Lieber RayzDxD, es tut uns sehr leid zu hören, dass Ihre Erfahrung mit HousingAnywhere nicht Ihren Erwartungen entsprochen hat. HousingAnywhere ist eine Plattform, die sich intensiv darum bemüht, Mieter und Vermieter auf sichere und transparente Weise miteinander zu verbinden. Wenn Sie dazu bereit sind, wenden Sie sich bitte direkt an unser Support-Team unter support@housinganywhere.com.
Fix It
Response from developer
Oh no! We sincerely apologize for the troubles you've had with the app. We have recently launched a new version of that App that resolves this exact issue. We would appreciate if you would share your feedback.
