Trust & Safety

Wroomly exists because finding housing in Ann Arbor shouldn't mean gambling on a stranger in a Facebook group. This page explains what we do to keep the platform safe, what we can't do, the rules everyone follows, and how to protect yourself.

This policy is part of our Terms of Service.

1. What the blue check means — and what it doesn't

We want to be straight with you, because misunderstanding this is how people get hurt.

A "verified student" blue check means one thing: at some point, that person signed in with their university Google account, so we know they controlled a university login at that moment.

It is not:

• confirmation of who they are in real life
• an identity or ID check
• a background check or criminal-records check
• a credit check
• confirmation that they control the property they listed
• confirmation that their listing is accurate
• an endorsement or recommendation by Wroomly

A verified student can still be dishonest. A blue check lowers the odds you're talking to a bot or an off-campus scammer. It does not remove your responsibility to check things out yourself.

What we do

• Remove listings and ban accounts that violate this policy or our Terms
• Investigate every report we receive
• Look for common fraud patterns — duplicate photos, impossible pricing, off-platform payment requests

What we don't do

• We do not inspect properties
• We do not meet or interview users
• We do not review every listing by hand. An automated moderator screens each new listing before it goes live, and borderline cases go to a person, but that screening reads the words and pictures in a post. It cannot tell you whether a real place exists behind them
• We never handle, hold, or guarantee any money. Wroomly processes no payments at all.

A note on AI

Our listing autofill and Wroomly Match features use AI, and AI gets things wrong. Always check an auto-filled listing before publishing, and treat Match results as suggestions to investigate — not as a signal that a listing is verified, safe, or genuine.

2. Community rules

2.1 Fair housing — the rule with legal teeth

Describe the place, not the person you want living in it.

Federal, Michigan, and Ann Arbor law make it illegal to advertise housing in a way that signals a preference for or against people based on protected characteristics. In Ann Arbor that list is broad:

race · color · religion · sex · national origin · familial status (having children) · disability · age · marital status · sexual orientation · gender identity or expression · height · weight · source of income (including housing vouchers)

Not allowed, even if you mean nothing by it:

• "No kids" / "not suitable for children"
• "Christian household" / "Muslim preferred"
• "Female only" / "guys only"
• "Students only" / "young professionals"
• "No Section 8" / "no vouchers"
• "English speakers preferred"
• "Clean-cut" or similar coded language

Allowed — describe the property and the terms:

• "2 bed, 1 bath, 3rd floor walk-up, no elevator"
• "$900/month, utilities included, May–August"
• "Non-smoking unit" · "No pets" (property rules, not people rules)
• "Quiet building" · "Street parking only" · "Furnished"

This applies to listings, profiles, messages, and what you ask Wroomly Match to find. We remove violating content and may permanently ban the account. Serious or repeated violations may be reported to the Fair Housing Center of Southeast & Mid Michigan, HUD, or the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.

Unsure whether wording is okay? Email delghu@umich.edu and we'll help you rewrite it.

2.2 Honest listings

• List only property you actually have the right to offer
• Use your own photographs of the actual unit. Stolen photos are the single most common sign of a scam listing
• Price and dates must be real
• Disclose known material problems
• Check your lease before subletting. Most Ann Arbor leases require written landlord consent, and subletting without it can get both you and your subtenant evicted
• Take your listing down once the place is taken
• If you used autofill, verify every field before publishing — you are responsible for what you post

2.3 Treat people decently

No harassment, threats, hate speech, sexual harassment, stalking, discrimination, or intimidation. No sharing anyone's private information without permission. No unsolicited advertising or spam.

2.4 Never do these

• Ask for or send payment by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency, or a cash app to someone you haven't met — these are irreversible and are how nearly all rental fraud is executed
• Ask for a Social Security number, bank login, or government ID photo before there's a real, signed agreement
• Pressure someone to pay before they've seen the place
• Create fake accounts or impersonate anyone

3. Protecting yourself — read this before you pay anyone

Rental scams spike every May–August and every lease-signing season.

Red flags 🚩

Do this instead

1. See the place first — in person, or on a live video call where you can ask them to pan around. A recorded video proves nothing.
2. Reverse image search the photos. If they appear on Zillow, an apartment site, or in another city, walk away.
3. Confirm they have the right to rent it. Ask to see the lease or the landlord's written consent to sublet. For a managed building, call the office directly using a number you looked up yourself.
4. Use traceable payment. Never wire, gift cards, or crypto. Get a receipt.
5. Get it in writing. A signed sublease naming both parties, the address, dates, rent, and deposit. Verbal agreements are nearly impossible to enforce.
6. Keep the conversation on Wroomly until you're confident — it gives us records if something goes wrong.
7. Slow down. Every scam depends on urgency. A legitimate lister will let you take a day.

We also wrote a longer guide: How to avoid sublet scams in Ann Arbor and Security deposits for Ann Arbor sublets.

Free help available to you

• U-M Beyond the Diag Off-Campus Housing — free lease reviews and housing advice for students
• U-M Student Legal Services — free legal help for enrolled students, including lease disputes
• Fair Housing Center of Southeast & Mid Michigan — free help if you believe you faced housing discrimination
• Ann Arbor Housing Bureau — questions about local rental rules

4. Reporting something

Report a listing or user using the "Report" control on any listing, profile, or message, or email delghu@umich.edu.

Tell us what happened, links or usernames involved, and any screenshots. Reports are confidential — we don't tell the reported person who reported them.

What happens next:

1. We acknowledge your report, typically within 2 business days
2. We review the content, message records, and account history
3. We take action and, where appropriate, tell you the outcome

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. Ann Arbor Police non-emergency: (734) 794-6920. U-M Division of Public Safety and Security: (734) 763-1131. We are not an emergency service and cannot respond in real time.

If you've been defrauded, also report to your bank or payment provider immediately, the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov, and local police. Then tell us so we can remove the account.

5. How we enforce

Depending on severity, history, and intent, we may:

• Ask you to edit content (common for accidental fair-housing wording)
• Remove a listing or message
• Restrict features on an account
• Suspend an account temporarily
• Permanently ban an account and any related accounts
• Preserve records for, and share them with, law enforcement

Immediate permanent bans are typical for fraud or attempted fraud, threats or violence, sexual harassment, listing property you have no right to offer, and repeat fair-housing violations.

Appeals. If you think we got it wrong, email delghu@umich.edu with "Appeal" in the subject line within 30 days, including your account email and what you'd like reconsidered. A person will review and respond. We may decline to reinstate accounts banned for fraud or safety reasons.

6. What we can't do

We'd rather be honest about our limits than let you rely on protection that doesn't exist:

• We can't guarantee any listing is genuine or any person is honest
• We can't recover money you've sent to someone. We never touch payments, so there is nothing for us to reverse. This is why the payment advice above matters so much.
• We can't force anyone to honor an agreement, return a deposit, or move out
• We can't provide legal advice or represent you in a dispute
• We can't act in real time or respond to emergencies

If you have a dispute with another user, it's between the two of you. The resources in Section 3 can help.

7. Contact

Everything — safety reports, appeals, security concerns, questions: delghu@umich.edu

We read every message.