We’re excited to announce a new feature as part of our website upgrade in April 2021: a Trust Score for every SabbaticalHomes member!

The SabbaticalHomes community thrives because of our responsive and trustworthy members, so having a Trust Score for each member helps reflect their credibility while maintaining each member’s privacy. It also provides another tool to help our community connect when searching for temporary housing or tenants.

Related: New & Improved SabbaticalHomes.com

What is a Trust Score?

Each member’s Trust Score will show how involved with SabbaticalHomes that member is. Longtime members have received Trust Points for years of membership, number of listings/renewals, matches, reviews and more. New members can earn their first Trust Points just by registering and completing their public profile.

New members might have a score of 20 points or less. Others can see what year a member joined, so will understand a newer member may not have had time to earn as many points yet. Longtime members who have made multiple matches, written reviews, and referred others could expect to have a higher score (50 or more points).

Related: Learn More about Trust Scores

How will I earn Trust Points?

SabbaticalHomes members can earn Trust Points for different actions such as completing registration, writing or receiving references, inviting new members, announcing matches, and writing reviews. You will earn points automatically and you do not have to do anything to claim points.

For longtime users, years of membership will increase your overall Trust Score. To make sure you receive all of the points you should, there are a few things you can do now, before we upgrade the website:

• Make sure you have verified your academic email (contact us to have a verification email re-sent or if you need help)
• Announce any matches you have found through SabbaticalHomes
• Write that review you have been meaning to get to!

Related: Finding the Perfect Match

Who will see my Trust Score?

Trust Scores will be shown on listings and each member’s public profile, under the alias and profile picture you have chosen to represent yourself on SabbaticalHomes. Only registered members who are logged in can see others’ public profiles.

Why is Credibility Important?

The nature of the SabbaticalHomes.com community is all about positive interactions between independent members. Likewise, we pledge to run our independent website in a respectful and transparent way. In return, we wanted to reward our most active participants with even more Trust Points; each member’s Trust Score will reflect their level of involvement.  A higher Trust Score will enhance your credibility on the platform.

Public profiles show how many years of membership you have on SabbaticalHomes. So, if you are new to SabbaticalHomes, people will understand that you haven’t yet had time to earn as many points. You will still be able to build your Trust Score right away by completing your profile, requesting references, posting a listing and even inviting new members to join. It is the first step in building your reputation on the website without having to reveal your identity.

How will I be able to Manage my Trust Score?

Once we have upgraded the website in April (and you’re a registered member), you’ll have access to your Trust Score dashboard where you can see how many points you have earned and which category you earned them in. You will also be able to see ways you can earn more.

Will my Points Expire?

Your Trust Points will not expire as long as you maintain your SabbaticalHomes.com account. They will not be transferable to other accounts.

We’re excited to add this feature very soon to SabbaticalHomes, as another tool to help our community connect with others to find temporary housing.

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