Is it safe to pay rent into a private person's bank account?
It is normal when the private person is the registered owner you have met at the property and signed a lease with. It is a warning sign when the account name is different from the landlord's name, when an "agency" wants money in a personal account, or when you have not viewed the place.
The account name is your friend: your bank shows it when you add a beneficiary with account verification. A landlord named Sipho whose rent goes to an account in someone else's name needs a very good explanation.
Before the first payment
- Use your bank's account verification when adding the beneficiary and compare the name with the lease.
- Pay only after you have viewed, signed and arranged the key handover.
- For agencies, pay into the trust account named on the agency's official documents.
- Keep the lease, the proof of payment and the chat.
- If the account name changes later "because of bank problems", phone the landlord on a known number before paying.
Frequently asked questions
- The landlord asked me to pay the deposit in cash. Is that safer?
- Not for you: there is no record. Pay by EFT with a clear reference and get a receipt.
Want to know if there are warning signs about the person you're chatting to? Veritaza checks the photos, the messages, the number, the email address, the name and the ID document, for R99.
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