Q: Why commercial creatives only?

A: In the words of New York photographer 'Amanda' :
"I don't know how many times I've walked into a sublet appointment from Craigslist and been met by bankers, cowboys or lunatics - a complete mismatch! A sieve is definitely a good idea!"

Most successful house swapping and subletting relationships work because the two parties have values in common. By limiting the invitation to creative folk, you already have a pretty good mental picture of what a lister is like. There's a value in that. 'Barbara', an art director from Melbourne, sums it up when she explains “the flatmates I had in London only wanted creative or similar-minded people to sublet from them - it's funny, how we trust people a little before we even know them if they're into the same things!”

Q: Are there any assurances that the property will be as described? What if I turn up to a sublet and it's unlivable/messy/noisy/smelly?

A: No unfortunately there are no guarantees. We can make some recommendations though. If there are no photos, ask for some. Ask lots of questions of the lister. With regards to it being noisy, if you're subletting from the permanent tenant, for example, while they are traveling elsewhere, if they have found the property fine to live in, you most likely will too. The great thing about Caravan is that you're not subletting from just any weirdo, you're subletting from people who have a similar lifestyle, circle of friends and interests to yours, so your chances of the property being a complete dud are greatly lessened.

Q: If I am subletting or swapping my room or my house, what should I do with my valuables?

A: We have a few suggestions for peace of mind. The main things are to make sure your contents insurance is up to date if you rent, and home and contents if you own. Every insurer is different and they will deal with incidences on a case by case basis. Check with them if you're concerned. But if you're seriously worried about your belongings being stolen, we would not recommend that you sublet or swap your property. You have to have a certain amount of faith in humanity for it to work.

Q: How do you screen listers? How do I know they are who they say they are?

A: We moderate every registration and every listing. Most people's creative credentials these days can be checked out with a quick google search, and often just by their domain name and email address. For example, an email address like mario@mariotestino.com is a bit of a giveaway! If someone looks suspicious, we ask a few questions and if we can't establish that they're in the creative industries, they don't get to register. We're not identity experts though, so while every effort is made to keep the site exclusive, we don't offer absolute guarantees or any liability. For more details, see our terms.

Q: Do you vet the properties on your site?

As much as I would love to personally judge every home on the site, I think that would be a bit mean, not to mention subjective and difficult! A few of our members have very swanky properties indeed and I can understand why they would want to swap with someone with a similarly amazing pad. The best thing we can advise here is to do your due diligence. If you are contemplating a swap and taking a sublet, and there are not enough pictures on Caravan to make a judgment, ask the owner for more. If you're still in doubt, then keep looking.