How the Unidorms platform fee works — a 2-minute guide
What you pay, what it covers, and how the 24-hour move-in dispute window gets you a refund if a unit is misrepresented.
What the platform fee is
When you reserve a dorm on unidorms.ph, you pay a Unidorms platform fee online. It is tiered to the listing's monthly rent: ₱1,500 (Budget, rent ₱5,000–₱7,499), ₱2,500 (Standard, ₱7,500–₱13,999), or ₱3,500 (Premium, ₱14,000+).
The fee covers landlord verification (KYC + proof of authority), secure payment, dispute resolution, and a 24-hour move-in guarantee. It is unidorms.ph's earned service revenue — not held in escrow for the landlord, and not the rent itself.
The lifecycle in 5 steps
1. Reserve. You pay the platform fee. Status: HOLDING. The unit goes off-market.
2. Move in. Both you and the landlord tap "Confirm move-in" on your dashboard. The 24-hour dispute window opens.
3. Inspect. Compare the unit to the listing. If anything material is wrong (denied access, wrong room, undisclosed damage), file a dispute.
4a. No dispute. After 24 hours your reservation settles. The platform fee stays with unidorms.ph as earned service revenue.
4b. Validated dispute. You get a full refund of your platform fee to your original payment method, typically within 5–7 business days.
The courtesy first-month discount
Many landlords on unidorms.ph voluntarily credit your platform fee toward the first month's rent — the landlord's choice, so ask when you inquire. This is a landlord's offer — it lives in your lease, not in our terms — so confirm directly with your landlord before move-in.
When the courtesy discount is offered, the net result is the same as if your fee had been credited to rent: you put down ₱1,500–₱3,500 to lock the unit, and your first month's out-of-pocket drops by that amount.
What unidorms.ph never handles
Rent. You pay the landlord directly under your lease — we don't collect or hold any portion of it.
Security deposits. Paid in cash to the landlord on move-in; we never touch the money.
Utilities and post-dated checks for subsequent months. Arranged off-platform with the landlord.
Why this matters for students
On Facebook Marketplace, money sent to a stranger is gone the moment they receive it. The "trust me bro" model has produced thousands of reported student scams in Manila.
Paying a platform fee to a verified platform with KYC checks, a dispute window, and refund rights flips the dynamic — you only commit to a landlord whose identity and authority have been checked, and you keep recourse if the unit doesn't match.
