Facebook housing groups
Why was my request to join a Facebook housing group declined?
Updated By the Housing Rocket moderators
Short answer
Join requests are usually declined because the profile looks new, empty or fake, the membership questions were skipped, or the account has joined many housing groups in different cities. Moderators decline these because scam accounts look exactly like that. Fixing your profile and answering the questions properly often gets you in on a later try.
Scammers create accounts in bulk and join every city group they can find, so moderators are strict. The patterns that most often lead to a decline:
- An account created recently with no posts, photos or friends.
- A display name that does not match the name in the profile URL, which can mean a hijacked or renamed account.
- Membership in housing groups across many unrelated cities.
- Blank, one-word or copied answers to the membership questions.
- A profile so locked down that nothing can be checked.
If your account really is new, say so in your membership answers and explain why you are looking ("new to Facebook, moving to Austin for a job in June"). Add a profile photo, make a little of your profile public, and leave groups for cities you are no longer searching in before you try again.
If you are declined twice, one short, polite message to an admin is reasonable. Moderators handle a lot of requests and may not reply, so do not keep resending.
Want the whole picture? Read How Facebook Housing Groups Work.