Is it safe to rent a flat after a video tour only?
It is risky, because a video can be of any flat and proves nothing about who owns it. If you cannot visit, send someone you trust, or ask a local friend, colleague or relative to meet the owner and see the flat before you pay a deposit.
Rental scammers love out-of-town tenants: the tenant is in a hurry, cannot visit and will pay a deposit to "secure" the place. Many people arrive in the city to find the flat occupied, non-existent, or owned by someone who never heard of them.
If you cannot visit yourself
- Ask someone local you trust to visit, meet the owner and check the documents.
- Ask for a live video call from inside the flat, where you choose what to see – not a recorded tour.
- Get the sale deed or tax receipt and the owner's ID, and match the names.
- Pay the deposit only after a signed rent agreement, and keep the payment in the owner's name.
- If no one can visit, take a short-term stay first and look in person.
Frequently asked questions
- The owner says there are other tenants waiting and I must pay today. What do I do?
- Let them go. Pressure to pay today is the scammer's tool, not a real owner's.
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