A security deposit is a one-time payment that an advertiser may require and serves as financial protection against unpaid rent, damage to the accommodation, or other unpaid amounts covered by the rental agreement.

Not every advertiser requires a deposit. If a deposit is required, the amount, payment method, and applicable conditions should be clearly communicated to you before you confirm your booking in the listing description, booking payment overview or in the conversation between you and the advertiser before you confirm your booking.

Your booking may involve additional payments besides the first month's rent, such as:

If the advertiser requires any of these payments before your official move-in date, they are generally expected to use a HousingAnywhere Payment Request. This allows you to review the amount and payment details and pay securely through HousingAnywhere. Payment Requests can be used for deposits, rent, and other housing-related costs.

Payments made through a HousingAnywhere Payment Request before your move-in date are securely held by HousingAnywhere. In the usual process, they are released to the advertiser 48 hours after your official move-in date, in the same way as the first month's rent.

In some circumstances, an advertiser may be permitted to request an additional payment directly to their bank account before your move-in date. However, this is an exception to HousingAnywhere's preferred secure payment process and is subject to HousingAnywhere's requirements.

If an advertiser intends to collect an additional payment directly before your move-in date, this condition must be clearly communicated to you before you confirm and pay for your booking. The information should be provided in one or more of the following places:

HousingAnywhere expects advertisers to use Payment Requests for additional payments due before move-in. Direct pre-move-in payments are only possible where the advertiser is permitted to use this payment method by HousingAnywhere. For example, this may be agreed with the advertiser's Account Manager. New advertisers without an established history of successful bookings are required to use HousingAnywhere Payment Requests for payments due before move-in.

The same principle applies to optional fees. An optional fee is not automatically part of your booking simply because it appears in the listing. If the advertiser requires you to pay an optional fee as part of the booking, this requirement and the payment conditions must be clearly explained to you before you confirm the booking.

If a direct payment before move-in has been clearly disclosed and the advertiser is permitted by HousingAnywhere to request it, the decision to proceed with the booking is entirely yours. You can also try to agree with the advertiser to make the payment through the HousingAnywhere Payment Request system instead. Please make sure you fully clarify the payment requirements with the advertiser before confirming your booking.

If you are uncomfortable with a direct payment arrangement, you do not have to confirm the booking. You can also contact HousingAnywhere Support if you need clarification about the payment conditions before booking.

Payments made directly to an advertiser's bank account are outside HousingAnywhere's secure payment system. HousingAnywhere cannot secure, hold, or guarantee these payments in the same way as payments made through our platform.

For this reason, we strongly recommend using HousingAnywhere Payment Requests whenever possible. They provide a secure and traceable way to make additional rental payments, and payments made before move-in are held by HousingAnywhere until the applicable payout date.

If your booking is cancelled, HousingAnywhere can assess your refund eligibility only for payments made through HousingAnywhere that are still held by us. Additional payments, such as a deposit, utilities, or an advertiser’s administration fee, that were paid through the HousingAnywhere Payment Request system before your move-in date are generally automatically refunded to your bank account by our system.

The First Month’s Rent and the one-time Tenant Protection fee (for accommodations outside of the Netherlands) are subject to further assessment. Your eligibility for a refund will depend on the reason for the cancellation, when the cancellation was submitted, and the applicable cancellation policy.

If you paid an amount directly to the advertiser, HousingAnywhere cannot process or guarantee a refund for that payment. Any refund of an amount paid directly to the advertiser must be arranged between you and the advertiser.

Please also keep in mind that if a direct additional payment was clearly disclosed before you confirmed the booking, and you chose to proceed with the booking knowing that the payment would need to be made directly to the advertiser, the fact that the payment was required to be made directly will not, by itself, be considered a valid reason to cancel the booking and receive a refund. This payment requirement was known to you before the booking was confirmed.

For this reason, always carefully review the listing, booking payment overview, and your conversation with the advertiser before confirming your booking. If you are unsure about any payment requirement, ask the advertiser for clarification or contact HousingAnywhere Customer Support before confirming your booking.

The advertiser is always responsible for managing your security deposit and returning it to you at the end of your tenancy, in accordance with your rental agreement and applicable local rules. HousingAnywhere is not a party to your rental agreement and does not manage or return your deposit.

HousingAnywhere may only be involved in collecting your deposit through the platform if the advertiser creates a deposit Payment Request through HousingAnywhere. In this case, you can pay the deposit securely through our platform. However, HousingAnywhere only holds the funds temporarily. Once the 48-hour period after your registered move-in date has passed, the deposit is transferred to the advertiser. From that point onwards, HousingAnywhere no longer holds your funds and is not responsible for managing, retaining, or returning your deposit.

At the end of your tenancy, the advertiser is responsible for assessing whether any deductions from your deposit are applicable, for example, due to damage, unpaid rent, utilities, or other amounts permitted under your rental agreement or applicable local rules. The timeframe and conditions for returning the deposit depend on your rental agreement and local regulations.

If your deposit has not been returned as expected, first review your rental agreement and contact the advertiser directly. Ask when your deposit will be returned and whether any deductions have been made. Make sure the advertiser has the correct bank account details needed to return the deposit to you.

If you believe the advertiser is not following the terms of your rental agreement or applicable local rules, you may consider contacting a local tenant support organisation or seeking independent legal advice. HousingAnywhere cannot process a deposit refund on your behalf or resolve a dispute between you and the advertiser regarding the deposit.

Use HousingAnywhere Payment Requests whenever possible for additional payments due before move-in. They provide a secure and traceable payment method, and payments made before move-in are normally held until 48 hours after your official move-in date.

If an advertiser is permitted to request a direct payment before move-in, this must be clearly disclosed before you confirm your booking. Once you have been informed of the condition, it is your decision whether you are comfortable proceeding with the booking.

Most importantly, never pay your first month's rent directly to the advertiser. Always make the first month's rent payment through HousingAnywhere.