GUIDE FOR MEMBERS

ABODEMATCH: PURPOSE AND STANDARDS

A Plain-English Guide for Members

AbodeMatch is a membership organisation designed for people who want to share a home safely and respectfully. We are not a high-volume marketplace or a generic roommate-finding site. We are a social enterprise that combines thorough verification with human facilitation to ensure home-sharing is stable, clear, and dignified.

1. The Membership Model (Not a Marketplace)

We do not use public listings. You will not be "cold-called" or messaged by strangers. We operate a gated membership where:

• Privacy First: Personal profiles are never public.

• Permission-Gated: Introductions only happen when there is a compatible match and both parties have completed a verification.

• Facilitated: A human Facilitator oversees the journey to ensure the match makes sense before anyone meets in person.

2. We facilitate a good co-living space by focusing on four practical areas:

• Verification: Every member undergoes identity verification and a police check. We verify the person so you don’t have to.

• Compatibility: We match based on "living rhythms"—noise levels, cleanliness, and social expectations. We find people who actually fit your daily life.

• Legal Clarity: We operate under an Australian Legal framework for people sharing their homes with lodgers and boarders. It is not a tenancy agreement. We provide digital agreements that define the boundaries of the stay and how to end it peacefully.

• Human Support: You aren’t left alone with an app. Our Facilitators provide procedural help and a calm point of contact if an arrangement needs to be adjusted.

3. Ethical Ground Rules

To keep our community safe and high-trust, we expect all members to work by these standards:

• Human Warmth: We treat each other with kindness. Home-sharing is a relationship, not just a transaction.

• Honesty: Your profile must be accurate. If your home rhythm or availability changes, you must update your profile.

• Dignity: We respect the homeowner's right to privacy and the lodger’s need for a stable place to belong.

4. What We Are Not

• Not a Real Estate Agent: We do not manage properties, collect rent, or hold bonds.

• Not a Crisis Service: We are a matching service for stable, compatible co-living.

• Not a Marketplace: We are a private organisation for verified members only.

Summary for the Pragmatic Host

You provide the spare space; we provide the verified, compatible person and the legal framework to keep your home a sanctuary. We handle the "checking" and the "matching" so you can enjoy the financial relief and companionship of a well-chosen lodger without the stress of the open market.

Summary for the Pragmatic Lodger

You are seeking a stable, welcoming home; we provide a verified host and a match based on how you actually live. We remove the "guesswork" and the competition of the rental market by ensuring you are introduced only to hosts who are looking for someone just like you.