Vivastreet blog

We would like to inform you that in response to our user feedback, we are constantly improving the content quality of our site and our service.  For this reason, we have introduced a new rule, which will no longer permit posting of naturist/nude massages in the Services section (Massage-Beauty-Spa category).

Due to the nature of these massages, from now on the posting will be possible only in the Erotic massages category in the 18+ section.

We regret any inconvenience this might cause and we hope this will not discourage you from using Vivastreet either for your personal or business needs.

If you have any further question, do not hesitate to contact us via our onsite Contact us form or e-mail us directly to: team-uk@vivastreet.com

Once you have found a property that meets your requirements, it is important to inspect the following:

• Time – Take your time looking round the property
• Ask Questions – Don’t be afraid to ask direct and blunt questions about the property
• Photos – Take pictures of the property so that you can look over them later with fresh eyes.
• Measuring up – Take a tape measure with you to calculate the size of each room, or get a rough idea of floor space in a room with furniture by looking at the ceiling size.
• Bills – Find out what is the cost of Council Tax and the average costs of other utility bills such as electricity, gas and water.
• Damp – Is there a smell of damp or any other sign such as the walls feeling damp, wallpaper peeling, paint bubbling, watermarks or mould.
• Power – Make sure there enough power points - how old do they look?
• Internet & Phone – Ask if the property has a phone and internet connection and where are the connection points.
• Electrics, plumbing and heating – Ask the agent or the owner to confirm that the boiler, electrics and plumbing in the property are all in decent working condition, and to see copies of guarantees and service certificates. Have there been any problems with the boiler; when was it last serviced by a Gas Safe engineer?
• Planning permission – Ask if permission has been granted in principle for an extension or other home improvement. Can you put up pictures or redecorate?
• Exterior – Don’t forget to examine pipes, drainage and the condition of the roof.
• Insurance – Check if there have been any recent claims on the property’s buildings insurance – including flooding – and ask for details.
• Neighbours – What are the neighbours like – are they noisy

From BBC News it has emerged that rental fraudsters have been stealing thousands of pounds from people searching to rent a flat on classified websites like Vivastreet.

In most cases students and flat hunters are asked to transfer money either to themselves or a friend, then send a copy of the receipt to prove they have enough funds to cover the rent.

Armed with the receipt, criminals then fake the intended recipient’s ID and take the cash from outlets across the country. Because the money transfer industry is not regulated in the same way as credit card companies are, the victims are unable to claim any money back.

Money transfer companies insist their security procedures are adequate and that they are working with police to stop the fraudsters. The scams are run by organised, persuasive criminals who lull their victims into a false sense of security.

Always remember to follow our online safety rules:
1. Never transfer money before you actually see the apartment.
2. Never send money using payment services Western Union, MoneyGram
3. Use conventional and regulated methods of payment
4. Only pay when a contract has been signed

For more information on how to deal with scammers please click here.

1.    When buying or selling, you should meet in-person to see the item and exchange money. 99.9% of fraud is carried out by people who won’t meet you. Would you advise your friend to send money to someone they don’t know? Why are you going to do it!

2. Never send or wire money to sellers or buyers. This includes never mailing a cheque or using payment services like Western Union or Money Gram to pay for items found on Vivastreet.

3. Never send your item before receiving the money.

4.    Beware of the Overpayment Scams and bounced cheques. Be suspicious if you are overpaid for products and a number of credit card numbers are used. The scammer is expecting you to/will transfer the refund; either paying for the freight before then discovering the cheque they sent out to you has bounced or before realising the money order/credit cards details they produced were phoney.

5. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Especially when deal seems too good to be true (price is too low, rent is below market, etc.). Be careful when buying expensive items like mobile phones, laptops, plasma TVs, airline tickets and even tickets for shows/gigs.

6.    Vivastreet does not offer any sort of buyer protection or payment programs. Vivastreet does not act as an intermediary and does not make arrangements for any payments or transactions. If you are contacted by someone who claims to be from Vivastreet and you are asked to transfer money for an item for sale, this will be an illegitimate request and any emails you receive of this type will also be fraudulent. DO NOT follow any of the instructions contained within the email or given over the phone.

7. Never provide your personal or banking information. Do not give out personal, credit card or online account details (e.g. social insurance number, bank account number) over the Internet/email. We advise only buying and selling with people you can meet. Fraudsters don’t meet a person, that’s how they get caught!

8. Please report to us any attempted fraud or suspicious emails or other activity by community members. If you have knowledge of a fake ad, please report by clicking the “Scam” button on the bottom of the ad or sending the Ad ID number to our help desk along with any knowledge you may have of the situation. In case of fraud or illegal activity, we also recommend that you report it to the Police.

1. Do not deal with anyone who promises a free puppy for just the cost of shipping.
2. Pets most frequently targeted by scammers are English Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, Teacup Yorkers, African parrots/eggs, as well as restricted animals, such as Bats and Monkeys.
3. Online scammers will often copy the claims of legitimate rescue groups and attempt to sound reputable. They may also copy breeder ads and claim to have registration certificates, vet records and health guarantees.
4. Avoid any kind of shipping from overseas, or any type of domestic shipping/flight. You should always be able to meet the pet in person. 95% of the scammers are from overseas (the most popular are Nigeria, Cameroon, USA and South Africa).
5. Do not trust a seller who wants to use Moneygram, Western Union or other irreversible money wire payments.
6. Be suspicious of bad grammar (spelling mistakes) and vague replies which do not make sense or relate well to your ad or enquiry.
7. Do not trust any seller whose phone number starts with 070.

If you cannot see the animal in the flesh, DO NOT part with any cash under any circumstances.

If you are in doubt or you think you might be targeted by a scammer, please do not proceed any further and cease all contact with the advertiser. Please then forward the ad number to us so we can investigate further.

Vivastreet Alerts is a free, convenient service that delivers your latest matches based on your saved search criteria to your email address. Instead of going to the site to find new matches, you can create and Alert and we’ll find the matches for you. You’ll receive your email once a day when Vivastreet will have new ads matching your criteria.

How to create an Alert email?
It’s easy, simple and it will not take you more than 2 minutes.

You can create an alert following the steps described below or you can sign in your Vivastreet account and manage your alerts from there.

1 – Check the “Create an alert” box in the search tool box and click on Search.

2- Now it’s time to select your criteria. In the first step select the category from the drop-down list and click “Next step”.

3 – In step 2 choose an area for your alert. If desired, limit your results to a particular city by entering city name and postcode.

4 – In step 3 you can specify your detail filters.

5 – In last step you can review your chosen criteria and edit them if you wish. Once you’re happy with the alert, enter your email address to which you wish to receive your alerts and you’re done.