How can a resident verify their review?

We use a third party company to verify reviews. Every review that is submitted on HomeViews requires information including the reviewer’s full name and address/flat number (we only show their display name on site to protect their identity in accordance with GDPR).

This information is automatically sent to a third party verification company that checks the reviewer’s details against public records such as the electoral register as soon as the review has been submitted.

If the reviewer’s details match public records, the review is automatically verified.

A review didn't pass automatic verification

Sometimes automatic verification doesn’t work, and there are a number of reasons why this might happen for residents in the correct development. For example, if a development is new and the address hasn’t been registered yet, or if they have recently moved in and aren't on the electoral register yet.

In these cases, a resident is sent an email asking them to verify they live in the development. They will receive a link in this email asking them to verify in one of two ways.

IMPORTAN NOTE

We can only ever accept review verification from residents via the link in their email.

Geolocation verification - A one-time location share with us on a phone or desktop. We then check the location is within the perimeter of your development to verify the review.
Photo proof of address - residents can take a photo of their driving license, utility bill, etc.

To see verification in action, watch this short video.

We never expect a 100% verification rate, but we hope that making it easier for your residents to manually verify reviews keeps verification rates high.

Anything that is uploaded via this link is deleted when our reviews team have viewed the documents to comply with GDPR. We never store the data or information that is sent using this verification tool.

An unverified resident will be sent 3 separate emails from HomeViews reminding them to verify their review.

How can you help residents to verify their reviews?

To remain in line with GDPR, we cannot accept any verification on behalf of a resident - verification must come from the resident using the link in their email.

Remind residents to check their emails

Ask your residents to look for an email from HomeViews - they can either search for 'HomeViews' in the search bar, or scroll to the date they submitted their review.

Remind them to check their junk or spam folder! Emails sometimes end up in a resident's junk or spam folder.

How to verify their review

If a resident has the HomeViews email, but is struggling to use verification, you can help guide them through the process above.

Using the geolocation tool is the quickest way to verify a review, but if a resident would rather upload a copy of their proof of address, they have the option to via the link in the email.

Educate your residents on the impact of a verified review

Verified reviews not only count more towards your development's star rating than unverified reviews; they help your residents' voices to be heard.

When prospective residents are reading reviews, they have the trust and transparency that the reviews they are reading come from legitimate residents of the building.