July 27, 2026
Why ID verification is becoming compulsory on RooMate
I still remember the exact feeling of standing in a city that wasn't mine yet, scrolling through a Facebook group at midnight, trying to work out from a blurry profile picture whether the person offering me a room was safe to meet. That feeling is the whole reason RooMate exists
Article by Dr Sotiria Moschopoulou, Founder of RooMate Photo by Photo by Peter Chirkov on Unsplash
I didn't know them. I couldn't verify them. I just had to hope.
That feeling is the entire reason RooMate exists. Not "a nicer way to find a flatmate." Not "a prettier Facebook group." A different foundation entirely, one where trust isn't something you have to gamble on.
So when I looked honestly at where we are today, I had to ask myself a hard question. Right now, verification is optional. Most people skip it. Which means the thing I promised, the thing I built this whole platform to protect, wasn't actually true yet.
I could have left it as a nice-to-have. Easier onboarding. Fewer drop-offs. Better numbers to show.
But easier isn't the point. Safer is the point.
From now on, ID verification is compulsory to use RooMate. Not a badge you can collect if you feel like it. Not a "nice to have" tucked away in settings. A requirement, for everyone, every time, always free.
It takes about two minutes. You'll need a government-issued ID and a device with a camera. Nothing is stored long term. It exists for one reason only, so that when you're talking to another woman on this platform, you actually know she is who she says she is.
I know this adds a step. I know friction isn't fun. But I didn't build RooMate to be the platform with the fewest steps. I built it to be the platform where you can finally stop holding your breath.
Every woman on here deserves to feel safe before she even says hello. Not after. Not eventually. Before.
This is what "women-first" actually means to me. Not a tagline. A decision I'm willing to make even when it's the harder one.
Dr Sotiria Moschopoulou is the founder of RooMate, a trust-based roommate matching platform for women in Athens. RooMate operates as a single-sex service under Schedule 3, Part 7 of the Equality Act 2010.