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Roompal

Landlord Policy

Takes effect at public launch · Last updated October 2026

This is a working draft for review and does not take effect until Roompal's public launch. It is not legal advice, and items shown as [to be provided] are still being finalised.

This policy sets the extra rules you accept when you list a property on Roompal. It forms part of the Roompal Terms of Service, and you must accept it before you can use the landlord role.

1. Your right to list

  1. You may list a property only if you are its legal owner or an authorised representative of the owner, such as a property manager with written authority. We may ask for proof at any time.
  2. You must verify your identity before you publish. We may also ask for property documents, such as the title or deed, a barangay clearance and a fire safety inspection certificate.
  3. You are responsible for any permit, licence or registration your property and rental business need, including a business permit from your local government, BIR registration for rental income, and compliance with building, fire and sanitation rules.

2. Listings

  1. Your listing must be accurate and current: real photos and videos of the actual unit, the true price, every fee the renter will pay, the correct location, amenities, house rules and availability.
  2. Publishing uses 1 listing credit and keeps the listing live for 14 days. You can renew it for another 14 days with 1 more credit. Boosts, credits and refunds are covered by the Payments, Subscriptions and Refund Policy.
  3. Listings may go live without prior review. Roompal staff may still review any listing, and may ask you to change it, correct its text, reject it, unpublish it or suspend it, and will tell you why.
  4. Take a listing down, or mark it unavailable, as soon as the unit is rented.
  5. Do not ask applicants to contact or pay you outside Roompal before you have accepted their application.

3. Rent, advance and deposits

  1. Charge only what your listing or the signed lease states.
  2. Where the Rent Control Act (RA 9653) applies, you may not ask for more than 1 month of advance rent or more than 2 months of deposit, and you may raise rent only within the limits it sets. Roompal applies the advance and deposit limits to every listing and lease.
  3. Where the Rent Control Act applies, keep the deposit in a bank account in your name and return it, with any interest earned, at the end of the lease, less lawful deductions for unpaid bills and damage. In every case, return a deposit on the terms of the lease and the Civil Code.
  4. Renters pay you directly. Record each payment in the app accurately, and issue an official receipt where tax law requires it.
  5. For short-stay bookings, follow the cancellation rules in the Payments, Subscriptions and Refund Policy, and pay any refund you owe within 7 days.

4. Treating applicants fairly

  1. Do not refuse, rank or treat an applicant differently because of their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, ethnicity, disability or similar personal characteristics, except where the law allows (for example, a female-only dormitory you state in the listing).
  2. Applicant requirements and questions must be lawful, relevant to the tenancy, and the same for every applicant.
  3. When you decline an application, give an honest reason. Do not include personal remarks in it.
  4. Keep viewings you schedule, and cancel in the app as early as you can if you must. Behave professionally at viewings and in video calls.

5. Applicants' personal data

When you open an application, you receive personal data, including the applicant's Renter Resume, income details, references and documents such as government IDs. Under the Data Privacy Act (RA 10173), you become responsible for that data. You must:

  1. Use it only to assess that application and, if you lease to the applicant, to manage that lease.
  2. Not download, screenshot, print, forward, sell or publish it, or use it to contact the applicant's references or employer beyond verifying the application.
  3. Keep any copy you are allowed to keep secure, and delete it once you no longer need it: within 30 days of declining an application, and at the end of any period the law requires after the lease ends.
  4. Tell us at roompal.ph@gmail.com within 24 hours if you think data you received has been lost, stolen or shared without permission.

Document images are watermarked with your viewer ID and the time you opened them, and every view of a resume or document is logged. We may share these logs with the applicant, the National Privacy Commission or the police if data is misused.

6. Leases

  1. You are responsible for the terms of your lease and for making sure they comply with the law. Roompal's template and e-signing tool are provided for convenience and are not legal advice.
  2. You sign first. Once you sign, the lease text is fixed, and the renter has 7 days to sign before the offer expires.
  3. You must honour the lease you sign, including the move-in date, the condition of the unit, repairs you are responsible for, and the renter's right to peaceful use of the unit.

7. Taxes

You are responsible for declaring and paying taxes on the rent and other income you receive through tenancies found on Roompal. Roompal does not withhold or file taxes for you.

8. Enforcement

If you break this policy, we may remove listings, remove your verification badge, withhold free credits, restrict the landlord role, or suspend or close your account. Credits used on a listing removed for breaking this policy are not returned. Serious matters, such as a rental scam or misuse of an applicant's ID, may be reported to the authorities.