Lately, we at the Rent Support Center have unfortunately seen an increase in the number of scam cases again. In other words, cases in which malicious persons try to scam you by pretending to be a landlord of accommodation. Usually you pay the deposit and rent in advance, after which it turns out that the ‘landlord’ does not exist at all or that the accommodation is already occupied or simply does not exist.
Every calendar year around this time, toward the start of the new academic year, we see it happen again. A lot of new people from home and abroad coming to live in beautiful Groningen. Unfortunately, that is also the period when there are scammers (scammers) who take advantage of the fact that these new students are mostly young and unfamiliar with (renting) in Groningen.
The Steunpunt Huren Groningen does not have the tools to recover the money already paid, which is why prevention is so important. In this article you can read what to look out for and we will give some tips to hopefully prevent you from being scammed and losing a lot of money as a result.
Who are you actually in contact with?
Many housing seekers do their best to contact as many landlords as possible. The landlords do not respond very often to requests because there are simply too many house hunters. You should therefore pay extra attention when you yourself are approached by a landlord without having sent the first message or having done a search. Many landlords don’t have to make this effort. Scammers do.
When you end up in contact with a landlord, you should always pay close attention to whether you are talking to a private individual or a company. In Groningen, many companies often have the words “real estate,” ‘brokers’ or “050” in the name. There are also companies that don’t have that, but it’s a nice giveaway. So, unfortunately, scammers also use these terms to appear more legitimate.
If you are in contact with a company, can you find them on Google? Often when a company cannot be found on the Internet, that is reason to be extremely cautious. This is because scammers are less likely to have a good website because too much time and money goes into it and they often have to change their name. With individuals, of course, this is somewhat more difficult because even legitimate individuals usually do not have a website.
Take a look!
Once you are offered a property, it is important that you always ask if you can view it, even if you could not be there yourself. This is because there are scammers who offer properties that do not belong to them, are already occupied or do not even exist at all. Therefore, scammers almost never want to accept a viewing. Any normal landlord will.
It is best to show up in person or have someone come for you. If there really is no other way, in the extreme, you can request an online viewing. At least make sure you see the street name and house number. We always advise against signing a contract without a viewing.
As an extra check, it is also useful to see if the house does have a permit for room rental. After all, if you get 2 or more roommates, a house must have this. An overview of all issued permits can be found here. If a house does not have such a permit, tenants run the risk of being evicted early. You can also email the municipality for this information.
Beware of strange or unusual demands
Often scammers try to get as much money from you as possible, for example deposit or first month’s rent, before you even see the property. They do this with arguments of “then it is reserved for you” or “then the signing will come later”. However, never do this, as if you are scammed it is virtually impossible to ever see that money again.
Also, if you are told that you have to transfer the money to a lawyer abroad, for example, because that is how it has to be for tax purposes, in 99 out of 100 cases this is incorrect. These are ways to ensure that transactions are untraceable.
You may also be asked for a copy of an ID card. This is a way for scammers to commit identity fraud. In principle, always say no, as it is not an obligation to do so. Still, are you convinced that the landlord is legitimate and are fine with sending a copy? Then send a copy with the BSN number and document number crossed out.
Listen to your instinct
It sounds somewhat cliché, yet it is often true. If something sounds too good to be true, it often is. Rooms offered for way too little money, contracts that don’t include the landlord’s contact information with a vague signature or foreign accounts that need money sent to them quickly all feel bad. So always be careful and don’t act too quickly.
On Facebook and Whatsapp you can find groups of house seekers. Here there are also people with experience in renting. In those groups, you can also often ask if people are already familiar with certain landlords.
Checklist
Because there are a lot of things to look out for, we have a handy checklist here that you can keep handy when you’ve found a potential place.
- Look on Google to see if you can find the renting party, person or company as well.
- The bank account number to which the deposit and later the rent should be transferred is a Dutch account number.
- You contacted the landlord first and not the other way around.
- You can find the landlord on Google/Social Media.
- You can look up who actually owns the property in the Land Registry for a fee if in doubt. If you see possible strange things, the Undesirable Letting Behavior Reporting Point can help you with this. If you are not looking through a licensed real estate agent, ask for an explanation if the owner and landlord are not the same person. If necessary, ask for written confirmation that the landlord is acting on behalf of the owner.
- The landlord is positive about a viewing in person.
- The house has the necessary permits.
- There are no odd requirements for renting.
- The landlord is already known to other people.
- Don’t be pressured. Scammers are usually in a natural hurry. They entice you to sign quickly. Ask for enough time to study (or have studied) the situation, the apartment and the contract carefully.
- It feels safe and doesn’t sound too good to be true.
Contract check
Are you in doubt whether the rental agreement is genuine, or do you suspect that something is not quite right? Do not hesitate to contact us. We will check your contract free of charge to see if it is scamming. We are happy to help.
