Reading University Students’ Union

PO Box 230, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AZ 0118 378 4100 | advice@rusu.co.uk | www.rusu.co.uk

Scam Tenancies

Some hints and tips for detecting scams in housing

Every year some students fall victim to accommodation “scams” after responding to online adverts. Rental fraud occurs when a person is tricked into paying an up-front fee for a property which in reality may not exist, or be owned by the person to whom the fee has been paid. Fraudsters will target individuals - both UK based and overseas - through on line advertisements, usually placed on accommodation websites, for a property which appears too good to be true. Prospective tenants are convinced to part with, credit card details or cash before seeing the property. Payments are then not returned and the person cannot get in contact with the supposed “landlord”. Cases of reported rental fraud include: occasions where fraudsters either advertise a property which does not exist; has already been rented out, or has been rented to multiple victims at the same time. They may also gain access to properties and take prospective tenants around, claiming that the property is vacant and under their control.

Here are some tips to consider in helping students avoid falling victim to a scam tenancy:

• Look out for listings where the offer is too good to be true. Signs of a fraudulent advertisement are that the rental price is slightly below the market average and the offer looks much better than anything else for the same price in the area.

• Be wary of both very detailed ads which promise a lot, and vague ads with

few details.

• Avoid pursuing ads where the landlord is abroad and cannot meet with you or show the property.

• Until you’ve viewed the property, met the Landlord and are entering an the

agreement which is agreeable to both parties, do not disclose personal information such as private e-mail addresses, phone numbers or bank details, or provide personal documents such as ID cards, passport, your home address, pay slips or bank statements.

Reading University Students’ Union

PO Box 230, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AZ 0118 378 4100 | advice@rusu.co.uk | www.rusu.co.uk

• Avoid signing a formal agreement or paying a deposit before physically

viewing accommodation. Think twice before sending money as a deposit to the advertiser without having viewed the property. Check the Land Registry to verify ownership of a property, and for reassurance if you are not confident that the advertiser is the owner of the property: these checks incur a fee of £3 .Further information on this can be found using the following link: www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry

• Ask for any safety certificates such as Gas, Electricity or HMO (Houses in Multiple

Occupation) Licenses to help verify ownership of the property.

• Be aware that although you have signed a Tenancy Agreement, if the Landlord/ Landlady as written on the agreement is not the legal owner of the property, you will have no right to take up the tenancy, irrespective of paying a deposit.

• Do not agree to, or feel pressured into, sending money using Western Union or Moneygram at any part of the Agreement. This is because that once money is sent by these means it cannot be retrieved. Fraudsters may ask you to send money to yourself or to friends or relatives via a money sending service on the understanding that you are doing so to prove that you have funds. However, fraudsters often set up fake IDs with your name (or that of your friend or relative) with the intention of picking up the money without your knowing, using the tracking information you give them. Additionally, obtaining a receipt from Western Union will not guarantee that you are able to recoup the money should you not be able to take up the room.

If you’ve found a property and have a Tenancy Agreement, The Advice Service offers Housing Advice, along with a Tenancy Agreement Checking Service. Visit the website http://www.rusu.co.uk/advice/housing_advice/ or e-mail advice@rusu.co.uk