FindMyNextStay

Most landlords and agents are honest. But fake rental ads are common on every property website and social network, and the people behind them are good at sounding genuine. The good news is that rental scams nearly always follow the same pattern. Once you know it, they are easy to spot.

How a rental scam usually works

The scammer copies photos of a real home and advertises it at an attractive rent. When you reply, there is a reason you cannot view it: they are abroad, the tenant is still inside, or there is a queue of other people. To hold it, you are asked to send a deposit or the first month’s rent. Once the money has gone, so has the landlord.

Ten warning signs

1. You are asked to pay before you have seen the home. This is the biggest sign of all.
2. The rent is well below similar homes nearby. A bargain is the bait.
3. The landlord is always away. Working abroad, in hospital, or too busy to meet, but happy to post you the keys.
4. You are rushed. Pay today or lose it to someone else.
5. They want an unusual way of paying. A money-transfer service, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a bank account in a different name or country.
6. They move you off the website quickly to a private email or messaging app, where nobody can see what is said.
7. The photos look like a brochure, or the same photos appear on another website with a different address or price.
8. They ask for a copy of your passport or bank statements straight away, before any viewing.
9. There is no written agreement, or one arrives full of mistakes and with no landlord address.
10. They cannot answer simple questions about the street, the council tax or the nearest station.

Five checks that stop most scams

• View it in person, inside, or send someone you trust. A video call from inside the home is better than nothing, but it is not the same.
• Check who owns it. Ask the landlord for proof of ownership. In England and Wales you can also look up the owner of most homes for a small fee using the government’s land and property search.
• Check the name on the bank account matches the landlord or the letting agency you have been dealing with.
• Ask how your deposit will be protected. In England and Wales a landlord must put a tenancy deposit into a government-approved scheme. A genuine landlord will know which one they use.
• Do not pay rent before you sign. In England, a landlord can no longer ask for rent before the tenancy agreement is signed, and can take no more than one month’s rent in advance.

If you have already sent money

1. Phone your bank straight away. The sooner they know, the better the chance of stopping or recovering the payment.
2. Report it. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, report it to Report Fraud, the national service that replaced Action Fraud, online or on 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101. Elsewhere, contact your local police.
3. Report the ad to the website where you found it, so it can be taken down before someone else is caught.
4. Keep everything: the ad, the messages, the bank details and any receipts.

How FindMyNextStay helps you stay safe

• We never take payments for rent, deposits or bookings. If anyone asks you to pay FindMyNextStay for a property, it is not us.
• The Verified badge shows which advertisers have confirmed a social profile in their own name or a phone number. It is a useful sign, not a guarantee, so still make your own checks.
• Messages stay on the site, so you have a record of what was said.
• Every ad has a Report button. Use it if anything looks wrong.

Not found the right place yet? Post what you are looking for and let owners and agents contact you. It is free. New to the site? Read how it works, step by step.

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Sources: GOV.UK, tenancy deposit protection, Renters’ Rights Act overview for tenants and Report Fraud: new service from City of London Police. Checked October 2026. This is general guidance, not legal advice.