Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL
How do I post a free ad on Spaceblender?
Click on “Post Your Ad” right below the Spaceblender logo. You can then select what region of San Diego County you would like to post your ad to. Once you have selected a region, choose a category- Events/Concerts, The Free Space, Rent Space, Roommates or Résumés. Use the Spaceblender Ad Editor to post your ad. We do not proofread or edit any of the ads. To edit or delete your ad, either created an account before you post and edit it in the account manager. If you did not created an account, save the verification email that was sent to you requiring you to verify your post. There is a link in the email that allows you to edit your ad.
How much is it to post an ad and how long does it run for?
It is FREE to post in the all of the categories:
What is a Featured Ad?
A Featured Ad will appear on our homepage and at the top of the category listing it belongs too. It will appear highlighted and increase the exposure of your ad. Due to the number of featured ads, the ads are randomly rotated, giving all ads the chance to be viewed on the home page.
Who are we?
We are local San Diegans that provide a resource for people to find quality cool free stuff that may enhance your lifestyle! Our goal is to provide a fun, easy to use website that allows you to search for local happenings, events, entertainment, promotions that may be of interest to you. We are committed to continuously enhance, optimize, customize the website as we keep growing to serve you best! As we keep growing we will add different feautures, categories plus much more to the site.
Why Advertise with us?
Why not? Contact us for more information.
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RENT SPACE
Why the Rent Space category?
The Rent Space category was created to provide a quality resource for San Diego Locals to search for housing and vacation rentals that are not scams. Spaceblender hopes to provide a site where people can come to find legitimate rental postings for an easier search process. During this time when people are facing foreclosure or unknowingly rent a place that turns out to be going into foreclosure and are now forced to move. We all would appreciate a legitimate source for finding rentals.
Spaceblender currently has a user-based flagging system in place for users to report ad postings as scams or spam. If we find any posting to be a scam, we will ban the IP address from that user from using Spaceblender. We will personally do our best to filter the ads and make sure they are legitimate. Although we cannot guarantee the legitimacy of any of the ads, we are commited to continuously update and improve the site to better our users experience! Our focus on only the San Diego Community makes this all possible.
Why advertise your rental with Spaceblender?
We are an exclusive San Diego website. The Rent Space category as a legitimate, scam-free place to find quality rental advertisments. Spaceblender is striving to create a source where rental ads will be taken seriously- Your ad will not be among fake scam ads.
Placing an ad on Spaceblender is incredibly easy!
- Created an account to post and manage multiple ad listings
- Ad postings include features such as: a hit counter, upload up to 8 pictures per ad, embed YouTube videos, Google and Yahoo map generator, picture magnifier, contact form and more!
- Option to upgrade an ad to Featured Ad
- Option to upgrade the duration as an Extended Ad
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FAIR HOUSING ACT
What are the laws for roommates and shared housing?
Federal Fair Housing laws for roommates and shared housing have two components: advertising and decision-making.
- Advertising: Federal Fair Housing laws prohibit discriminatory advertising in all housing, regardless of how large or small the property. However, as discussed below, advertising which expresses a preference based upon sex is allowed in shared living situations where tenants will share a bathroom, kitchen, or other common area.
- Decision-making: Although the prohibition on discriminatory advertising applies to roommate and shared housing situations, federal Fair Housing laws do not cover the basis of decisions made by landowners who own less than four units, and live in one of the units. This means that in a situation in which a landlord owns less than four rental units, and lives in one of the units, it is legal for the owner to discriminate in the selection process based on the aforementioned categories, but it is illegal for that owner to advertise or otherwise make a statement expressing that discriminatory preference.
Are there any exceptions to the advertising laws?
Under federal Fair Housing law, the prohibition on discriminatory advertisements applies to all situations except the following:
- Shared Housing Exemption -- If you are advertising a shared housing unit, in which tenants will be sharing a bathroom, kitchen, or other common area, you may express a preference based upon sex only.
- Private Club and Religious Exemptions -- A religious community or private club whose membership is not restricted based upon race, color, or national origin may restrict tenancy only to its members in a property that it owns, and may advertise to that effect.
- Housing for Older Persons Exemption -- Certain complexes for elderly persons are exempt from prohibitions on familial status discrimination, including the prohibitions on discriminatory advertising.
What are the "protected categories" in my area?
This law generally prohibits stating, in any notice or ad for the sale or rental of a dwelling, a discriminatory preference based on any of the following protected categories:
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- National Origin
- Handicap / Disability
- Familial Status
The following is a very brief summary of the Fair Housing laws that exist on the state level which protect more categories than federal laws. For a more in depth review of local Fair Housing laws, please consult the links to the actual laws or contact your local Fair Housing center. Please note that not all states have additional Fair Housing laws and that laws can change, so this page may not have the most up-to-date information.
California - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income, disability, or age (CA GOVT § 12955).
What is "familial status"?
"Familial status" means the presence of children under the age of 18.
Unless otherwise exempted, it is illegal to:
- discriminate against families with children
- discourage families with children from renting a unit
- steer families with children to a particular area of an apartment complex
- establish rules, regulations, or policies that discriminate or have a disparate impact on families with children
- discriminate against pregnant women
- discriminate against anyone in process of securing legal custody of a child under age 18
Who is exempted from laws prohibiting "familial status" discrimination?
Under federal Fair Housing laws, "housing for older persons" is exempted from the prohibitions on "familial status" discrimination.
"Housing for older persons" is defined as either of the following:
- Housing occupied solely by persons 62 years of age or older; or
- Housing in which 80% of the occupied units have at least one person 55 years of age or older, and which meet certain other requirements.
This exemption applies only to familial status discrimination; discrimination against all other protected categories, including disability, is still prohibited in housing for older persons.
How does the law define "handicap"?
Federal law defines "handicap" as any "physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of [a] person's major life activities, a record of having such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment."
Further discussion of the definition of "handicap" can be found in the section 100.201 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations (24 C.F.R. 100.201). Your state laws may also have broader definitions of "handicap."
What should I do if I find a discriminatory posting?
If you encounter a housing posting on Spaceblender that you believe violates the Fair Housing laws, please flag the posting as "spam".
If you are not sure if the posting violates the Fair Housing act, please contact HUD or your local Fair Housing center. If you have made contact with the poster and have been discriminated against based on one of the protected categories, you may file a claim with HUD or your local Fair Housing center as well.
Recognizing a discriminatory posting
In general, a posting is discriminatory if it expresses a limitation or preference based on one of the protected categories, which may vary depending upon where you reside, but which always include the seven (7) federal categories. State or local laws may protect other categories.
A posting is also discriminatory if it uses language that might be discouraging towards a certain protected category. For instance, saying that a particular apartment is "perfect for a single or couple" could be discouraging towards families with children, who do not fit within the stated groups. Please note that unintentionally discriminatory postings are still illegal.
Lastly, a posting is discriminatory if it uses language that might have a disparate, or disproportional, impact on a certain protected category. For instance, an advertisement for a 2 bedroom unit which states a preference for "2 persons only" might have a disparate impact on families with children because, though it does not explicitly state a preference based on familial status, it creates an overly restrictive occupancy limit which would affect families with children to a greater extent than other types of households. (For more information on reasonable occupancy limits, see HUD's guidance on occupancy standards.)
Examples of Discriminatory Advertisements
Although not an exhaustive list, these examples should give you some idea of what might constitute a discriminatory housing advertisement.
- Race/Color
- postings stating a preference for the race of a desired applicant (eg. "no blacks," "whites only," etc)
- postings describing the race of current occupants of the complex or neighborhood (eg. "African-American neighborhood," "most residents are Asian," "lots of Hispanic families," etc
- Religion
- postings stating a preference for the religion of a desired applicant (eg. "Christians only," "no Muslims," etc)
- postings describing the race of current occupants of the complex or neighborhood (eg. "African-American neighborhood," "most residents are Asian," "lots of Hispanic families," etc
- National Origin
- postings stating a preference for a certain national origin (eg. "no immigrants," "no foreigners," "Irish preferred," etc)
- postings posted only in a language other than English
- postings describing the national origin of current occupants of the complex or neighborhood (eg. "predominately Latino neighborhood," "mostly Asian residents," etc))
- Handicap/Disability
- postings stating a preference for able-bodied tenants (eg. "no wheelchairs," "must be able to live independently," etc)
- postings describing the complex as unable to accomodate people with disabilities (eg. "units are not accessible", "no pets, even seeing eye dogs", etc)
- Familial Status
- postings stating a clear preference for families without children (eg. "no children," "no kids and no pets," "single occupancy only," etc)
- postings that could discourage families with children (eg. "ideal for working professionals," "perfect for single or couple," "nice, quiet, mature, neighborhood," etc)
- Sex/Gender
- postings stating a preference for one sex over another (eg. "no young men," "female preferred," etc)
Other Resources
National Fair Housing Alliance -- a national organization dedicated to ending discrimination in housing
National Fair Housing Advocate -- an online resource for fair housing advocates and public on issues relating to housing discrimination
Housing.org -- the official site of Project Sentinel, one of the country's largest fair housing centers
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) -- the federal agency charged with investigating claims of housing discrimination
Guidance on advertising - published by HUD
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JOB SPACE
How much does it cost to post a job?
It is FREE to post a job.
How do I post a job?
Click on “Make a Post” right below the Spaceblender logo. You can then select what region of San Diego County you would like to post your ad to. Once you have selected a region, choose a Job Space as your category. Use the Spaceblender Ad Editor to post your ad. We do not proofread or edit any of the ads. To edit your ad, either created an account before you post and edit it in the account manager. If you did not created an account, save the verification email that was sent to you requiring you to verify your post. There is a link in the email that allows you to edit your ad.
How long does a job post remain on the site?
Job postings remain live on the website for 30 days. You can pay for Extended Ad featureds to extend the length of the duration of your ad.
How can I edit or delete my job posting?
To edit or delete your ad, either created an account before you post and edit it in the account manager. If you did not created an account, save the verification email that was sent to you requiring you to verify your post. There is a link in the email that allows you to edit your ad.
How can I repost a job?
You cannot repost a job. You need to either start from stratch and post it again or consider purchasing an Extended Ad to lengthen the duration of the posting
Once I have submitted a job post, how long will it take to appear on the site?
Your job post will appear once you have completed payment through Paypal and after you have verified the email that was sent the email address entered in the post.
Any special consideration for recruiters?
Basic guidelines that must be followed by recruiters who post jobs:
- Please identify yourself and make sure you include this information within your posting.
- No resume fishing, no bait and switch, and no other dishonest or misleading tactics. We're here to help each other out!
- Please do not post in the resumes category -- direct principals only.
Can I post a job fair on Spaceblender?
Please post job fairs and related events in the Events category.
Can I add HTML tags or URLs in my posting?
You must use the formatting tools available in the Ad Editor.
Can I include a link to our organization's job page in my posting?
As long as the link does not lead to a list of all jobs available in your organization. You can link to your home page, or to a page where folks can apply to the same job you have advertised on Spaceblender.
I have three positions to fill and want to post one ad for all of them - can I?
Spaceblender asks that you include only one job description per job post. As a rule of thumb, job titles should be singular, not plural.
Do you accept credit cards?
Yes, we accept credit cards via Paypal.
What kind of job posts do you not accept?
Our policies prohibit the following types of listings on our site:
- Posting of any franchise, pyramid scheme, multi-level marketing, "club membership", distributorship or sales representative agency arrangement or other business opportunity which requires an up front or periodic payment, requires recruitment of other members, sub-distributors or sub-agents, or pays commissions only (except for postings that make clear that the available job pays commission only and clearly describes the product or service that the job seeker would be selling, in which case such postings may be permissible).
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