Reviews are a vital part of building trust within our community.
They provide a space to let other exchangers know what your experience was like with your host or guest, and can help members decide who they want to send requests to, or who they want to host. We always encourage you to provide an honest account of your exchange.
HomeExchange does not moderate any of the reviews before we publish them, and we therefore don't guarantee their accuracy. However, when members sign up on the platform, they agree to only provide accurate information, using words that best describe their experience. No offensive or defamatory language will ever be tolerated.
What is defamation?
Defamation is damaging someone's reputation by writing or saying things that are not true. When posting a review, please avoid:
- Making unfounded accusations about your host or guest’s behavior.
- Spreading rumors or malicious gossip about your host or guest.
- Making false statements about your host or guest’s character or integrity.
- Publishing private or confidential information about your host or guest. Make sure you only use their first name, and avoid including their personal information.
How can I identify defamatory reviews?
Here are some things to look for that may indicate defamation:
Extreme language: The review uses harsh, derogatory, or abusive language.
Lack of detail: The review provides no supporting comments for the claims that it makes and, when contacted by our team, the reviewer is unable to substantiate what they say.
Unreasonable accusations: The allegations made in the review seem to be overly exaggerated or far-fetched.
Personal remarks: The review focuses on personal characteristics or attributes rather than the exchange experience.
What can I do if I encounter a defamatory review?
If you believe you have been the subject of a defamatory review, you have a couple of options:
Contact the reviewer: If you feel comfortable doing so, you can contact the reviewer directly to address the concerns raised in their review. Remember to be polite and respectful throughout the conversation, as they may be able to provide some clarity for you.
Report the review to us: If you feel the review needs to be looked at further after you've contacted whoever wrote it, you can report this to the Member Support Team through our contact form. Let us know the review you would like to report (the reviewer’s name, the dates of the exchange and if it’s a guest or host review) and we can investigate further.
The final say: The final decision as to whether or not a review contains defamatory remarks will be made by our Member Support Team, who are on hand to help you.