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safety tips

version 1.0 · effective 19 July 2026 · last updated 19 July 2026

draft — not yet legally reviewed. this is a work in progress, not the final published policy.

Version 1.0 — July 19, 2026

TODO — before publishing: have the lawyer sanity-check the housing-diligence section (registration/BRP, huurcommissie references) and confirm the emergency-numbers wording. Publish at loro-app.com; the app’s “safety tips” row links here.

Finding a roommate means eventually meeting strangers and making housing decisions. Most people on Loro are exactly who they say they are — but you should always look after yourself the way you would anywhere else online. Here is how.

1. Keep conversations on Loro

Scammers try to move you off the app quickly — to WhatsApp, Telegram, or email — because there they can’t be reported or traced by us. Keep chatting on Loro until you genuinely trust the other person. Be cautious with anyone who pushes for personal contact details in the first messages.

2. Protect your personal information

  • Don’t share your home address, exact workplace, financial details, or identity documents in chat.
  • Never share a copy of your passport or ID with someone you haven’t met. If a “landlord” asks for ID documents before a viewing, that is a red flag — identity checks belong at contract time, in person, with the data minimised (cover your photo and BSN).
  • Your exact location pin from onboarding is never shown to other users — only your city and neighbourhood. Keep it that way in what you write.

3. Meet safely the first time

  • Meet first in a public place — a café near the flat works well — before any viewing in a private home.
  • Tell a friend where you are going, with whom, and when. Share the profile of the person you are meeting.
  • Keep your phone charged and with you.
  • Stay sober enough to judge the situation, and if something feels off, leave. You owe nobody an explanation.
  • Video-call before meeting if you want an extra check that the person matches their photos.

4. The money rules (this is where scams live)

Loro never processes rent or deposits — any payment happens entirely outside the app, and that’s exactly where you must be careful.

Never, under any circumstances:

  • pay rent, a deposit, a “reservation fee”, or “key money” before you have seen the room in person and verified the person is entitled to rent it;
  • pay in cash without a receipt, in crypto, via gift cards, or through international money-transfer services to someone you’ve never met;
  • send money to “hold” a room because the person is “abroad” and “an agency will send the keys” — this is the single most common rental scam in the Netherlands;
  • accept an offer that is far below market rent with a story attached. If it looks too good to be true, it is.

Warning signs of a scam: they can’t view the room “yet”, they pressure you with other interested people, the photos look like a hotel or appear elsewhere online (try a reverse image search), they ask for payment before a contract, or their story keeps shifting.

5. Do your housing homework (Netherlands)

Before signing or paying anything:

  • See the room in person and check who actually lives there.
  • Verify the right to rent out: ask whether the person owns the home or has the landlord’s written permission to sublet or take in a roommate. In social housing, subletting rules are strict.
  • Check registration (BRP): confirm you will be allowed to register at the address with the municipality. Being unable to register is a major red flag and causes real problems (health insurance, allowances, DigiD).
  • Get it in writing: names, address, rent, what’s included (utilities, internet), deposit amount and return conditions, notice period, and move-in date.
  • Know the rent rules: for many rooms and flats, Dutch law caps the rent via the points system. You can check a fair price and challenge an excessive one at the Huurcommissie (huurcommissie.nl) — also within the first 6 months of a new contract.
  • Deposit: commonly one month’s rent (legally capped at two for many contracts). Get proof of payment and photograph the room’s condition when you move in.

6. Trust your instincts about people

  • Take your time. A good roommate match survives a second conversation and a viewing; only scammers are in a hurry.
  • Watch for guilt-tripping, love-bombing, sob stories that end in a payment request, or anger when you ask normal verification questions.
  • Meeting a whole household? Great sign. A “roommate” who prevents you from meeting the others is not.

7. If something goes wrong

  • Block and report in the app (report is confidential) or email safety@loro-app.com. Reporting helps protect the next person.
  • Scammed out of money? Report it to the police (politie.nl, or 0900-8844) and contact your bank immediately — fast action sometimes recovers transfers. You can also report fraud at the Fraudehelpdesk (fraudehelpdesk.nl).
  • In immediate danger, call 112.
  • Discriminated against in housing? You can report it to your municipal anti-discrimination service (discriminatie.nl) or the College voor de Rechten van de Mens.
  • Sexual violence support: Centrum Seksueel Geweld, 0800-0188 (24/7, free).

None of this is meant to scare you — the overwhelming majority of Loro users are genuinely looking for a home and a good person to share it with. A little care up front is what lets you say yes with confidence when you find them.