crashmates
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For parents

Know who your kid is living with.

College roommate groups on Facebook and Craigslist are a minefield of scams, fake listings, and total strangers. Crashmates only lets in verified, enrolled students — so your student matches with real classmates, not bots or randos. It’s completely free for them.

Send it to your student →See how it works

The roommate-search problem.

You know the drill. Your student needs a roommate or an off-campus room, so they end up in a Facebook group or on Craigslist — where the listings are half fake, someone’s always asking for a deposit over Venmo before anyone’s met, and half the “students” don’t actually go to the school.

They’re about to hand over money, or move in with someone for a year. That shouldn’t run on a stranger’s say-so. Crashmates fixes it at the root: only verified, enrolled students get in.

What “verified” actually means.

Every account is verified two ways: your student signs up with their school .edu email and clicks a magic link (proving they control it), and we cross-check the domain against IPEDS — the federal database of accredited US colleges. If it matches, they’re confirmed as a current student at a real school.

Straight talk, because you deserve it: we verify enrollment — we don’t run criminal background checks, and no app can promise total safety. What Crashmates guarantees is that your student is talking to actual classmates, not anonymous strangers or bots. That’s the exact thing Facebook and Craigslist can’t do. (Smart habits still apply: meet in public, video chat first, trust the gut.)

Built to keep them safe.

Verified
Students only
Every account is a real .edu cross-checked against the federal IPEDS database. No verified student email, no entry. That keeps out bots, scammers, and people who don’t even go to the school.
Mutual
No cold messages
A stranger can’t just DM your student. The chat only opens when both people like each other — so every conversation is two verified students who chose to talk.
Watched
Report + review
Any profile or message can be reported in one tap. Reports are reviewed within 24 hours, and confirmed bad actors are banned for good.
Private
Not on Google
Profiles are visible to verified students at the same school — not the public internet. Your student’s face and full name aren’t searchable.

Going abroad? Don’t pay for an empty room.

If your student is studying abroad, taking an internship in another city, or graduating mid-lease, they can sublet their room to a verified classmate for the semester instead of eating rent on a place nobody’s in — and the person taking it is a verified student, not a stranger. See how subleases work →

And it’s free for them.

No subscription, no credits, no card. Browsing, matching, and messaging are all free — so there’s no surprise charge on your student’s account and nothing auto-renewing in the background. We make money later through optional tools for landlords, never by charging students to find a roommate.

Parent questions.

Is Crashmates free?
Yes — completely free for your student. No subscription, no credits, no card required. Browsing, matching, and messaging all cost nothing, so there’s no hidden charge or auto-renewal to worry about.
How do you verify students?
When your student signs up with their school (.edu) email, we send a magic link and cross-check the domain against IPEDS — the US Department of Education’s official database of accredited colleges. If it matches, they’re confirmed as a current, enrolled student at a real school.
Is this a background check?
No — and we want to be straight with you about that. We verify that someone is a real, currently-enrolled student. We do not run criminal background checks, and no platform can promise total safety. What Crashmates guarantees is that your student is matching with actual classmates at their school, not anonymous strangers or bots off Facebook and Craigslist. Encourage your student to meet in public, video chat first, and trust their gut — same as any roommate search.
Can I make an account to look for my student?
Crashmates is student-only — accounts are tied to a verified .edu, so parents can’t create one. The most useful thing you can do is send Crashmates to your student so they sign up themselves. There’s a button for exactly that below.
My student is studying abroad — can they sublet their room?
Yes. If your student is going abroad, interning, or graduating early, they can sublet their room to a verified classmate for the semester instead of paying for an empty room — and the person taking it is a verified student, not a stranger. See the sublet page for how it works.
What happens if something feels off?
Your student can report any profile or message instantly. Our team reviews reports within 24 hours and permanently bans confirmed scammers or harassers. Verification is the first wall; active moderation is the second.
Updated: 2026-06-09 · Questions? support@crashmates.com

Send it to your student.

The best thing you can do is put Crashmates in front of them. One tap — it opens an email you can send straight to your student.

Send it to your student →