Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why another sharehousing site?
A: Because it hasn't been done right until now. When PlacesToLive was created there were maybe two or three alternatives and they were either not free, America-centric, clunky to use, or some combination of those traits. Now there are even more alternatives, which appears to dilute the value of PlacesToLive, until you actually spend a few seconds with the alternatives. What is it about community websites that attracts charlatans and unscrupulous operators? PlacesToLive remains the only option that is a) free, b) Australian owned and run, c) actually about sharehousing, not harvesting email addresses, d) not interested in tricking you into buying appendage expanding pills.
Q: Why are there no hidden charges to use this site?
A: PlacesToLive is actually free to use, unlike other "free" sites. You will not get halfway through the process and then be offered "premium" services to continue.
Q: Why aren't there pictures of scantily dressed females all over your site?
A: We're interested in share housing. There are plenty of sites that already provide gratuitous shots of attractive people.
Q: Why can't I create a profile and have the site "match" me with a place?
A: This is not a dating site, and we recommend not treating your housemates as potential dates, at least as a priority. In our experience, the usefulness of profiles matching on the Internet to housemate suitability is a little less than nothing at all. Fortunately we already have a good indicator of housemate suitability - the process of searching and shortlisting, followed by actual human interaction.
Q: Why don't the words "share accommodation" appear over and over again on your site, all linked back to the site?
A: This annoying practice confuses users in an attempt to subvert the process that search engines use to find websites. We'd prefer to serve users first, rather than ruining the web experience for everyone.
Q: Why don't you require me to fill out all my personal details when I register?
A: Registration only exists so our listers can be confident their contact details are only available to those that are identified with the site. Other than that, we want it to be as quick and painless as possible so you can get on with it. The value of this extra precaution has been learnt by years of experience with shady types who use the details of well-meaning folk for nefarious purposes. You wont have to deal with it.