Why the hell should I pay ?

Because I think you'll get back your £19.95. And I think you'll get who you want turning up on your doorstep.

£19.95 is less than two days' rent for the room you are advertising.

If you've used this site before, you'll know it's very likely that you'll let your room at the very least two days earlier by advertising on MoveFlat. You'll also know the kind of people who are likely to respond to your ad.

I thought MoveFlat was a free site. It's free for me to advertise on Loot for instance ?

Loot charges for all property ads now, and their fee is weekly or fortnighly.

Yes, but I know of at least one London flatshare site where I can advertise for free.

So do I. In fact there isn't just one, there are many. And since they are 'free' you should consider posting on all of them.

If you haven't used MoveFlat before then I'm not going to try and 'hype' my site. But I think it is more likely that you will find who you want here, and I think it more likely that you will let your room earlier than elsewhere. If you've used the site before, then you'll judge it on your experience, and you certainly won't be interested in what I have to say.

I've been on your site before, got a good flatmate, and I didn't have to pay.

It was free. that was what I liked about it.

Sure. But I don't think it was the only thing you liked about it. I think something else you liked about it was that it got you a good response from the right people.

With respect you are deriving an income from advertising on MoveFlat. (And good for you too.)

The whole drive of my site is quality ads and quality tenants: if you own your property, then you are the major beneficiary of this.

So you've gone commercial then and deserted us ?

I have not deserted you and I have not gone commercial.

Search on Google for twenty minutes using 'London flatshare' as your keywords. I have not gone commercial. And then there's always Loot.

You have to be a little bit 'commercial' about this: it's your money.

I was an owner-occupier for five years. First in a flat in Brixton Hill, and then in a house in Camberwell. It was in the house that I started this site.

I was prepared to pay money then as well. And the simple reason was, that as days go by and rooms lay empty, you haemorrhage money that could have been your own.

And that certainly doesn't mean you have to pay money to me.

I'm pissed off with you Julian, and very angry.

If you're very angry and have read this far, then you are certainly very angry.

That means you've advertised on here for free previously.

That means you've taken tenants into your flat or house, through my site, and expected it to be free this time round, but it isn't. So now you really hate me and you're going to go elsewhere ?

Try elsewhere, but don't do it in anger. You are very likely to make a profit from advertising on MoveFlat, not a loss: you are likely to make more money for yourself by advertising here.

What's to stop me cheating and just say I don't own it ?

Well then that would alter our relationship somewhat:

You would be lying. Because you do own it.

If you don't agree with paying, then be honest with yourself, and don't advertise here.

If you lie, then you coast into two really significant hazards.

The problem with lying is that it doesn't get you off to anything like a good start with the people who are coming to look at your property.

It very quickly becomes obvious to your prospective tenants that you have lied in the first few lines of your advert.

And people are very sensitive on this site about falsified ads. And they can and do complain..

The second hazard is me.

I'm a genial nice guy who writes polite e-mails that always begin with 'Dear..' I take a lot of pride in my site.

But if you've falsified an ad. I'll have to do the same as I have always done since the site started: your relationship with me and the site gets compromised: the whole ethos of MoveFlat.com is about trust and quality. I get personally offended if I find someone has decided the site's rules don't apply to them. This isn't a 'moral' reason. It is that MoveFlat is my site, and I really do take the insult personally.

If you don't want to advertise here, then I do genuinely wish you the best of luck elsewhere, and if you don't find what you want, then you are entirely welcome to return and try again. But please don't lie: that could really cost you a LOT of rent. Maybe not this time, but in six months time it could really cost you a lot of money. Why ? Because if I prevent you from advertising here in the future then a hell of a lot of people aren't going to to see your ad.

-Julian