Community Guidelines
Last updated: May 6, 2026
Handoff works because students trust each other. These guidelines keep the platform safe and useful — break them and you'll lose your account.
Be a real student
Handoff is .edu-verified. Don't share your account with anyone who isn't a current student at your campus. Don't pose as someone you're not. We use signals beyond the .edu email to spot accounts that don't belong, and we'll remove them.
Post listings honestly
- The address, photos, price, and dates have to match reality. No bait-and-switch.
- Use photos you actually took, or photos the building has explicitly licensed for marketing. Don't lift photos from Zillow or competing listings.
- List a sublease only if you have legal authority to sublet — i.e., your master lease allows it or your landlord has approved.
- One listing per unit. Don't flood the map with duplicates to look more available than you are.
Respect each other
- No discrimination. Don't reject requests on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any protected class. That's also illegal in California, by the way.
- No harassment, no slurs, no threats. We'll remove accounts after a single confirmed incident.
- Be honest in your handoff request — don't spam every listing with a generic message. Take 30 seconds to write something specific.
Keep money off-platform — but be careful
Handoff doesn't process payments. Once you've agreed on a handoff with another student, you'll exchange contact info and handle the lease + deposit directly.
A few rules of thumb:
- Always meet in person before you sign anything or send a deposit.
- See the actual unit before you commit.
- Use a written sublease agreement signed by both parties.
- Pay via traceable methods (Zelle, Venmo, ACH) — not cash, gift cards, or crypto.
- If anything feels off, walk away. Real students don't pressure you to send money fast.
Report problems
If you see a sketchy listing, a fake account, or someone trying to scam you off-platform, email safety@handofflease.com with the listing URL or username. We investigate every report. Reporters stay anonymous to the person they reported.
What gets you removed
- Posting fake or fraudulent listings
- Operating as a landlord or broker rather than a fellow student
- Discrimination or harassment
- Trying to take communications off-platform before a handoff is accepted
- Creating multiple accounts to game the system
Edge cases — when in doubt, ask
Not every situation is in the rulebook. If you're unsure whether something is OK, email us before you do it: hello@handofflease.com.
Handoff is a student project. These guidelines reflect our best understanding of how a trusted marketplace should run; we'll revise them as we learn.