Top tips for tenants and landlords to avoid property renting scams

Providing a safe environment for our flat hunting community and remaining vigilant when it comes to spotting and stopping the scammers out there goes right to the heart of what Roomgo stands for – a safe and secure service.

100% of our listings and profiles go through moderation before being published on the site. Our own specialist and highly trained team works 24/7 team to moderate and verify the 40,000 monthly ads that get posted and on average, are busting 1400 fraudulent registrations every month before a scam can take place. On top of our own efforts, we’re keen to share our expertise on fighting fraud and avoid renting scams in the flatsharing world so you can stay safe and decrease your chances of being scammed when on the hunt for your new home.

Top tips for tenants:

Look out for listings where the offer is too good to be true, but not that good. Tell-tale signs of a fraudulent ad include the rent price being slightly below the market average, the offer looks much better than anything else you’ve said for the same price in the same neighbourhood.
Be wary of ads that are very detailed and promising a lot or, conversely, are very vague and could be describing any room in the country.
Avoid ads where the landlord is abroad or the flat allegedly belongs to a sibling or friend who is abroad and cannot meet with you in person.
Don’t disclose your private email address or phone number.
Use the internal messaging system so renting scams activity can be picked up by moderation.
Never provide personal documents such as ID card, passport, home address, payslips etc.
Never transfer money via WESTERN UNION or Moneygram – fraudsters may ask you to send money to yourself to prove that you have the funds but in fact have already made a fake ID with your name and intend to pick up the funds without you knowing. By the time you go to collect the funds, they’ve already been collected by the scammer.
Don’t sign or pay for anything before having physically viewed the room/accommodation.

Top tips for landlords:

When you have met with a prospective tenant, you can conditionally accept their offer on the room you are renting. Putting caveats in place before entering a formal agreement including a tenant reference check means you can verify their authenticity, ensure they are who they say they are and that they can meet their obligations.
When entering into a formal agreement with a tenant you are entitled to request information including identification such as a driver’s license and passport to confirm identity.
When entering into a formal agreement you may want to ask them to provide recent bank statements and/or provide a letter from their employer that confirms their current employment status.
Always conduct a legal immigration check before you enter into a formal agreement – this is important to ensure your prospective tenant has the right to reside in the United Kingdom before you grant them tenancy. This is an important and legal responsibility as outlined by The Immigration Act 2014.

Be ware of renting scams from abroad

Moving countries can often be a challenge in itself with many things to think about without the added worry of falling into a renting scams. We have some additional tips if you’re house-hunting but haven’t yet landed in your new country.

We strongly advise that you don’t make any commitments to a room – financially or otherwise – until you have personally viewed it, met the advertiser and signed a contract.
If relocating to a new country, it is far safer to arrange viewings when you arrive, rather than arranging anything remotely.
It’s more sensible to book a hotel/hostel/bed and breakfast while you carry out viewings and choose the right place, than to make a spare of the moment decision and risk being scammed.

In the run up to your big move, keep in contact with the advertiser by telephone. You may also like to arrange a remote viewing on a video call platform such as Skype.

Find a room