Staying safe

Most people are exactly who they say they are. These simple steps help keep it that way.

Money

Never pay a deposit, rent or a "holding fee" before you have viewed the room in person and met the host.

Be wary of anyone who asks for money by money transfer services, gift cards or cryptocurrency, or who says they're abroad and will post the keys.

laba never handles payments and will never ask you to pay anything by email or message.

Messages

Keep your conversation on laba until you've met. If someone pushes you to move to another app straight away, take care.

We show a gentle warning beside messages that look like common scams. You can always ask us to look at a conversation.

Viewings

Tell a friend where you're going. Arrange viewings in daylight if you can.

Check the badges: they show which identity checks someone has completed. They are not a background check.

If something feels wrong

Use "Get help" in your messages or on your agreement to tell us privately. You can also report a room from its page. The other person is never told who reported them.

If anyone is in danger, call 112 or 999.

You can also email our safety team at safety@laba.ie.

If something serious happens

  1. If anyone is in danger, call 999 or 112 straight away.
  2. Report it to the Gardaí.
  3. Then tell us: tap "Get help" in your messages or on your agreement, and choose the closest reason.

Every host with a live room, and every lodger before signing, has their ID checked by Didit, our ID partner, which keeps a secure record of the check. If the Gardaí make a lawful request, we respond as the law requires.