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What is the purpose of the ShareRent site?
The purpose of the ShareRent site is to make it as easy as possible for you to meet people to "share the rent" on places to stay. We have divided up all of our members according to categories for people interested in sharing their place, finding others with places to share, or finding others to go looking for a new place to rent.

Is use of this site really free?
Yes, Sharerent is free to use!

Are members on this site screened?
Yes and no. A valid e-mail address is required in order to become a member of this site, as you will not be able to obtain your password without one. This means that should any member of the site be found guilty of harrasing other members, we will at least have a clue as to who is causing the problems, and hopefully with the help of that member's ISP can have that person traced down. Needless to say, such people will be permanently banned from membership on this site. However, there is no way that we can do extensive background checks on members, and we expect you to understand that we cannot take responsibility for any damage caused to you by use of this site. Please use your common sense and be careful about giving out personal information to people you meet on this site.

What is the difference in entering as a guest and entering as a member? What are the limitations placed on guest usage?
ShareRent works on a membership system because we need to be able to keep data files which contain your profile information and other information such as your "Hot list", etc. Anyone is free to enter the site and browse the profiles of members we have listed, but in order to respond to ads you must be registered with a valid e-mail address (which helps us prevent e-mail harrassment of our members). You must also be a member in order to create a "Hot List" (a list of members who you are corresponding with)

My profile information has changed/I want to change my profile information...
After you have entered the site as a registered member, most screens will have an update link on the top of the page. Click on that link to go to the update screen. The update screen shows your profile in more or less the format that other members will see it. To change any item in your profile, click on the field label to the left of that item, or in some cases the item itself (for example, to change your city, click on the word "City" next to that entry. To submit or change a photo, click on the space allotted for your personal photo).

Important Note:

We do not allow members to change their handle. We do this to avoid login and email problems. The only way to change a handle is to delete the entire account and re-register as a new member.

How do I change my password/e-mail address?
If you have moved and have a new Internet Service Provider, or you wish to change your e-mail address for any other reason, go to the update link.

Important Note:
  • After you have made a change to your e-mail address, ShareRent will verify the new address by changing your password and sending the new password to the new address. Without this password, you will not be able to access the site, and if you mistyped your new address, and are unable to get your new password, you will not be able to use the password lookup, as this also would use the new e-mail address.
  • After you have changed your address and received your new password, you can change your password to whatever you wish, including to whatever your password was before you changed your e-mail address.
  • All updates must be approved by the ShareRent Webmasters.

How do I upload/update my photograph?
  • After logging in as a registered user, go to the update page by clicking on the "Update" icon on the top of the page.
  • Click on the current photo (if you have not yet uploaded a photograph, a picture with the words "No photo on file" will be displayed). You will be taken to the photo upload page.
  • Click on the "Browse..." button, which will let you choose an image file (.gif or .jpeg) to upload. After choosing the image file you wish to upload, enter your password in the field provided and click the "Send Photo" button. Your photo will be uploaded to our server.

    Important Note:

      Your photo will not be available to the public until one business day (usually). We reserve the right to remove any photo which we deem offensive or inappropriate for this site. We will also not approve any photo which is overly large. Please try to keep photos within 300x300 pixels.
    • Anyone trying to upload anything other than an image file will be immediately banned from the site.

    What if I can't upload a photograph?
    For those who are unable to upload your photos (e.g., WebTV folk), or you don't have a SCANNER, please send your photo along with your handle and a check for (payable to "Friend Finder Personals") to

    Friend Finder Personals
    445 Sherman Ave., Suite C
    Palo Alto, CA 94306

    If you need your photo back, please include a self addressed, stamped envelope, and allow a week or so for us to scan the image, upload it and return your photo.

    Are profiles censored? Is there any limit to what I can put in my profile?
    Yes. All member profiles, both when they are originally created and when they are modified, must be approved by ShareRent webmasters. We reserve the right to refuse any profile or photograph which we feel is inappropriate for this site. In particular, we will refuse any profile which contains profane or explicit language, and any photograph which shows nudity or other similarly inappropriate material. Repeat offenders of this rule will be banned from this ShareRent site.

    How do I remove my listing/Temporarily turn my listing off?
    To permanently delete your profile, or to "turn off" your profile so that other members cannot see it, go to the Update page in your ShareRent account. There you will see a funtion entitled Delete/Turn off your profile. This page will allow you to make changes to your profile's status. CAUTION: Deleting a profile is permanent. We will not be able to recover accidentally deleted profiles.

    What are some important tips to remember when creating my profile?
    The number of replies you get from other members will depend greatly on the quality of your profile. Here are some helpful tips which will help you:

    How do I send e-mail to members?
    To contact other members on Sharerent, please follow these steps:
    1. Log into the site using your handle and password.
    2. Click on the "Search" link.
    3. Enter the handle of the member you wish to contact into the "Handle Search Form", or select your search preferences and click on the "Search" button to see your results. From a member's profile page, scroll down to the bottom and using the form provided, write your message. Click on the "Click to send the above message" button.

    How do I get e-mail from other members?
    When you get mail, it will appear in your free Message Center. To open your Message Center, please follow these steps:
    1. Log into the site using your handle and password.
    2. Click on the "here" link in your Welcome Back box.
    3. This will open your Inbox and show you any messages that you have received. (CC/Copied messages can be found in your Sent Message folder.)

    How do I search for members?
    There are two ways that you can search our database: by Handle or by a detailed description. If you are looking for a specific person and you can remember their Handle (or part of their handle), enter it in the "Handle" field at the top of the Search Page. If you are not looking for a specific person, but rather someone who matches a description you give, then use the second form on the Search Page, which allows you to describe the kind of person you are looking for. You can search by almost any category of information which we keep track of, including sex, location, languages spoken, etc.

    How can I keep track of people I'm interested in? What is the "Hot List" feature?
    For ShareRent members, when you are browsing the listings, you will notice that every page has a button on it which says "Add this person to my hot list". Clicking on this button will do exactly what it says. Your Hot List is a list of members who you are interested in, and maintains a link to their page and remembers the last time you sent them e-mail. You can remove people from your Hot List by clicking on the "Remove" checkbox next to their name, and then clicking on the "Update List" button.

    What is the "Status" label on my update page?
    As with photo uploads, the webmasters of ShareRent must approve all profiles which are created or updated. We will usually be able to approve your profile within 1-2 days of creation or modification. We will not accept any profile which contains profane or overly explicit language. Acception or rejection of all profiles is strictly according to the judgement of the ShareRent webmasters. You can check the status of your profile by clicking on the Update link on the top navigation bar.

    There are 3 possible status levels for your profile:

    • Pending Review means that you have modified your profile and it has not yet been reviewed by our webmasters. At this point, your updated profile is not yet viewable by other members (if you have modified an existing profile, then the old version is still visible). If it has been longer than 3 days and your profile is still pending, please Update your profile to remind our reviewers!
    • Approved means that your profile has been reviewed and accepted. At this point, your profile is viewable by all members and guests.
    • Denied Approval means that your profile was reviewed and found to be unacceptable (in this event, you will also be notified by mail that your review was not accepted, and that you must come back to the site and remove the cause for rejection.)

    I forgot my password. What can I do to recover it?
    Click here to have us send you your password. Your password will be e-mailed to you at the e-mail address you entered when you registered for the site.

    This help page still hasn't answered my questions. Where do I go now?
    If we haven't answered your questions in this FAQ file, please drop us a line and let us know. We're eager to help you with any problems, and rely on your feedback to make this the best site we can. We're looking forward to hearing from you!

    Important Note:

    Because of the incredible volume of tech help mail we receive, it may take us as long as a few days to get back to you. Also, we can respond only to questions which do not have an answer somewhere on this help page and/or on the Feedback/Comments Page

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    and used with permission by Friendfinder Network, Inc.
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