Staying safe at the viewing and at the payment
Most rental problems come from a handful of simple rules not being followed. The rules are not about distrusting anyone; they are about documenting, in advance, the things that are hard to prove afterwards. Each one takes a few minutes.
While you are calling and messaging
Keep the conversation on the platform and the phone, and leave the important agreements in writing. Ask in the first conversation whose name is on the ownership document and who will sign the contract: that single question saves a great deal of time.
Never send anyone a copy of your passport, your bank card number or an SMS code. None of it is needed to rent a flat. If you are asked for any of it, end the conversation and report the listing.
When you go to view
Go in daylight if you can, and take someone with you rather than going alone. Tell someone close to you where you are going and who with, and send them the address. This is not excessive caution — it is ordinary habit.
At the flat, look at the ownership document yourself and compare the name on it with the passport. If the person showing you round is not the owner, ask for their written authority. Do not rush the agreement: you are entitled to a day to think about it, and an honest owner understands that.
- Go in daylight and, if possible, with someone else.
- Send the address to someone close to you beforehand.
- Compare the ownership document with the passport.
- Photograph every room and the meter readings.
- Never make a decision under pressure.
Rules about paying
Do not transfer any money before you have seen the flat — no advance payment, no "reservation" fee, nothing "to hold the keys". That request is the most common opening of a fraud.
Pay after the contract is signed, and take a receipt. The deposit amount, the grounds for withholding it and the deadline for returning it should be written clearly into the contract. Get written confirmation for every sum paid in cash.
Reporting a suspicious listing
Every listing page has a report button. One tap is enough, and a few words of explanation will do. A reported listing goes to a moderator, and the phone number is checked against the other listings it appears on.
You do not need firm evidence to be suspicious. Flagging something that struck you as odd may protect the person who comes after you, and a report that turns out to be mistaken harms nobody.
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