How to spot a fake rental listing before it costs you money

46 minutes ago

8 minutes reading time

Person comparing rental listings on a laptop and printed property photos while searching for an apartment.

Rental scam red flags every tenant should know

You've found it. The apartment looks perfect. The photos are great. The location is exactly right. And the rent? Surprisingly affordable.

Before you type a single digit of your bank account number, read this.

Rental scams are not rare, unlucky edge cases. They are a growing problem, and the people running them have gotten very good at what they do. In 2025, the Fraudehelpdesk received 250 reports of rental fraud in the Netherlands alone, with at least half of those people losing money. The real number is almost certainly much higher, since most victims never report it.

In 2026, the tactics have evolved further. Scammers are using AI-generated profiles, fake payment portals that look identical to legitimate platforms, and social media accounts on TikTok and Instagram to make their listings look completely believable.

The good news: once you know what to look for, the red flags are hard to miss.

Why rental scams work so well

Before getting into the warning signs, it helps to understand why so many people fall for this.

The rental market is competitive. Good listings disappear fast. When you finally find something that seems right, there's a very real pressure to act quickly before someone else does.

Scammers know this. They design their listings specifically to exploit that urgency. The apartment is beautiful. The price is just below market rate, tempting but not so low that it sets off alarm bells. The "landlord" responds quickly, is friendly and professional, and has a reasonable explanation for everything.

By the time something feels off, you've already sent money.

The best protection against a scam is slowing down. Not forever. Just long enough to ask a few questions and check a few things.

The first rule of renting

Before anything else, apply this simple test:

Does the price make sense for this city?

A fully furnished 80m² apartment in the centre of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or Utrecht for €800 per month all-inclusive does not exist. If a listing is offering this, it is a scam. Full stop.

Scammers deliberately price listings below market rate because they know urgency makes people skip verification steps. If it feels too good to be true, it almost always is.

10 red flags to check before you respond

Work through this list before engaging with any listing you're not 100% sure about.

1. The price is significantly below market rate. Compare the listing to similar properties on Pararius, Funda, or Kamernet. If it's more than 20 to 30 percent cheaper with no obvious explanation, be suspicious.

2. The landlord is "abroad" and cannot meet in person. This is one of the most common scam scripts. "I'm currently working in London / Spain / the US and I'll post you the keys once you've paid the deposit." No legitimate landlord operates this way.

3. You're asked to pay before viewing the property. Whether it's €100 for a "reservation fee", €400 to be the "only applicant", or a full deposit upfront: a legitimate landlord will never ask you to pay anything before you've physically visited the property.

4. Payment is requested via unusual methods. Bank transfer to a private account in a different country, Western Union, cryptocurrency, or gift cards. These are untraceable and unrecoverable. Legitimate landlords use standard Dutch bank transfers.

5. The listing photos appear on other platforms. Scammers steal photos from legitimate listings on Funda, Airbnb, or international real estate sites. Copy the image URL and run a reverse image search on Google to see where else those photos appear. If the same living room shows up in two different cities at two different prices, it's a scam.

6. The contract or documents look off. Grammar mistakes, inconsistent formatting, a landlord name that doesn't match the documents, or a contract that looks like it was assembled from a template. If you're unsure, the Huurcommissie or a legal advice desk can help you check.

7. The "landlord" references Airbnb as a safety mechanism. A common tactic: the scammer suggests completing the transaction via "Airbnb's long-term rental safety programme." They send a link to a website that looks identical to Airbnb. It isn't. Real landlords don't use Airbnb for long-term rentals, and Airbnb takes 14 to 16 percent of every booking. No rational landlord would volunteer that.

8. You cannot register at the address (inschrijven). In the Netherlands, you're legally entitled to register at any address you rent. If a landlord says you can't register there, something is wrong. It may be an illegal sublet, a property that doesn't legally exist as a rental, or simply a scam.

9. Communication only happens via WhatsApp or email. Scammers avoid phone calls and video calls because they can't maintain a believable story under real-time questioning. If every attempt to speak on the phone or video call is deflected, take note.

10. The listing is only on social media or unmoderated platforms. Facebook groups, Marktplaats, and Instagram are largely unmoderated. Scammers post there precisely because no one is checking. This doesn't mean every listing there is fake, but listings that exist only on these platforms warrant extra scrutiny.

Person checking a rental listing on a smartphone and laptop in a bright apartment.

The platforms scammers love most

Knowing where scams cluster helps you stay alert in the right places.

Facebook housing groups are among the most common hunting grounds. The combination of a large audience, no listing verification, and a social trust layer ("this person has mutual friends") makes it ideal for scammers.

TikTok and Instagram are newer but growing fast. Accounts post videos of properties, build a small following to appear legitimate, and then request payments for viewings or deposits.

Marktplaats has improved its verification over the years but remains less secure than dedicated rental platforms.

WhatsApp groups, particularly those targeted at expats, students, or recent arrivals, are increasingly used to distribute scam listings to people who don't yet know the local market well.

The safest listings are on verified platforms like Pararius, Funda, and Kamernet, where landlords and listings are screened before going live.

What to do if you suspect a scam

If something feels wrong, trust that feeling. You can:

Stop all communication immediately. You don't owe anyone an explanation.
Never send money for a property you haven't physically visited.
Report it to the Fraudehelpdesk (fraudehelpdesk.nl) so others can be warned.
Report the listing on whatever platform it appeared, so it can be removed quickly.
Contact your bank immediately if you have already transferred money. In some cases, transfers can be reversed if you act fast enough.

What to do if you've already lost money

It happens, and it doesn't make you naive. These scams are designed by people who do this professionally.

Report the fraud to:

Fraudehelpdesk: fraudehelpdesk.nl
Your local police: file an official report even if you don't expect recovery; it contributes to investigation patterns
Your bank: ask about a SWIFT recall or chargeback if relevant

Recovery is unfortunately rare. Only about 1% of scam victims recover their money, but reporting always matters.

The bottom line

The rental market is stressful enough without scammers making it worse. But the vast majority of them rely on urgency, pressure, and the hope that you won't slow down long enough to check.

Slow down. Check the price against the market. Run a reverse image search. Never pay before you've visited. And if something feels off, it usually is.

The right apartment is out there. It just won't ask for €400 to prove you're serious about it.

At Rentbird, all listings come from verified sources. We don't post listings ourselves. We find them so you don't have to spend hours on platforms where scams hide.

Start your search

Stef van Vliet

CEO