Five common rental scams in Germany and how to avoid them

1. Fake adverts

The most common trick used in various scams is to put up adverts for apartments that don’t actually exist. These kinds of adverts have been found lurking on all of the major renting portals, including  Immowelt, Immoscout and Ebay Kleinanzeigen.

To entice potential victims, fraudsters put these fictional apartments in particularly desirable areas for surprisingly low rents. 

How to avoid this trick:

Firstly, ask yourself “is it too good to be true” - if the answer’s yes, it probably is. If the rental price is much lower than comparable apartments in the same area, then be on your guard.

If you suspect that an offer might be a fake, you can copy and search parts of the advertisement text and if you find it elsewhere, be sceptical.

Also - compare the photos with the description - contradictions are likely indicators of a scam. You can also use Google's reverse image search to check whether images are used elsewhere (e.g. on the website of a furniture store). If this is the case, it’s likely that the ad is a fake. 

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2. Fraud with advance payment

One particularly widespread scam is requesting advanced payments. 

In a classic con of this kind, the “owner” contacts the person looking for an apartment and tells them that they are currently abroad and therefore can’t show them around the property. Instead, they offer to post the key for a fee that has to be transferred in advance. Particularly brazen rip-off artists will charge hundreds of euros for this service.

A similar trick involves asking for an advanced transfer of the deposit or the first month’s rent. 

The Hamburger Abendblatt recently reported such a case, involving a two-room apartment at an address where there were no apartments actually available for rent. The advertisement was placed on eBay-Kleinanzeigen, and the victim was asked to pay the deposit plus the first month's rent to a "trust account", with the promise that, if the customer didn’t like the apartment,  the money would be transferred back on the same day.

An emerging scam involving advanced payments is for fraudsters to rent out a flat via a portal such as Airbnb for a short period of time and to advertise on a portal for long-term rent. Then, they invite prospective tenants for viewing appointments with a supposed agent - and then agree to rent the place to all interested parties. The victims are then asked to pay, for example, a deposit and a transfer fee for the kitchen. 

How to avoid this trick:

Never pay anything before signing the lease and be very sceptical of owners who claim to be out of the country for whatever reason. 

If you have seen the apartment and feel pressure to make a payment before signing anything, do some background research on the owners. 

Check online whether the broker really exists, whether they have their own website with an Impressium and whether they have other apartments on offer.

When transferring money abroad: check the IBAN and country code and make sure it matches the country where the property is located. Never make cash transfers via companies like Western Union, as you won’t be able to get the money back in case of fraud.

READ ALSO: How much deposit do I have to pay when renting in Germany?

3. Phishing scams 

Another common method used by fraudsters is to send so-called phishing emails. Posing as the official rental portals or as reputable real estate agents, such emails will usually contain a request to log in  to the real estate portal via a link with your access data, or to open an attachment. 

If you log in via the link, however, you will be taken to a fake log-in page, which fraudsters can use to intercept your access data. Files attached to emails may also contain malware which can spy on your personal data.

How to avoid this trick:

Don’t open attachments ending in .exe in e-mails and don’t click on links without verifying the sender. Pay attention to the sender's e-mail address - real estate scammers often use email addresses with conspicuous domains, such as Name@günstige-traumwohnung.de.

Also, be sceptical if the email is written in bad German or English.

4. Identity Theft

Rather than demanding an immediate handover of cash, this kind of scam is more of a long-term venture. 

In this case, fraudsters will ask victims to send a copy of their passport or other personal documents such as pay slips and utility bills, by email. The biggest warning sign for this kind of scam is when you are asked to take a picture of yourself holding your ID card or passport.

Fraudsters can then use this personal information to open bank accounts in your name, take out loans or conclude telephone contracts, and some have even managed to apply for credit cards with high credit limits and make high-value purchases in instalments. 

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How to avoid this trick:

The problem with this scam is that potential renters are often legitimately asked by official agencies to provide proof of income and identity as part of the application process for the apartment. In fact, it can be a little overwhelming in Germany because so many essential documents are needed to rent a flat. It often feels like you're handing over your soul. 

So the first golden rule is - don’t give any personal information unless specifically asked for it. If you are asked to send a passport copy or other personal data, make sure you are absolutely sure that the agent is trustworthy.

Ideally, this would be verified by meeting them in person, but if not, you can at least call the office or do some online research about the agency. 

A complete and easy-to-find imprint on the website, as well as other apartment adverts, is usually an indication of trustworthiness.

5. Charges for listings and viewings

With slim pickings often available on rental portals, one emerging (and alarming) form of trickery is to charge victims for “exclusive” listings and visits. 

In such cases, a prospective customer will respond to an advert, only to be told that it’s already rented. Then the broker will offer access to a list of “exclusive” properties for a fee of around €200. 

The lists and databases are however completely worthless and are simply copied from other adverts.

A related trick is when fraudsters offer an appointment for a visit, but demand a payment in advance to reserve a particular time slot.

How to avoid this trick:

While some agents may charge fees to help you find an apartment, these are usually the kind that advertised their paid services upfront. It is highly unusual for agencies to send unsolicited offers of paid listing and visits. 

I think I’ve been scammed - what should I do?

If you think an apartment advert looks like a fake or if the person claiming to be the owner is making suspicious requests, then get in touch with the portal operator and report them.

If you have been the victim of a scam, contact the police immediately - you can do this online in Germany, and if you have paid by credit card or direct debit: contact your bank.

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