Consumer watchdog warns students to be aware of rental scams ahead of academic year

This creates “the perfect conditions” for rental scams, the watchdog said.

Its warnings echo similar ones given by gardaí in previous years, with August and September usually seeing a spike in accommodation fraud reported in Ireland. One third of all such frauds are reported during this time of year. Last year, An Garda Síochána said 30% of victims of accommodation fraud were Irish.

The CCPC said a rental accommodation scam would usually try to trick students out of their money by pretending to offer them a property or a room to rent.

These scammers will offer a property at much lower prices to draw in potential victims, and they will often offer a rental without any questions asked.

Actual landlords will usually want to check references before considering renting to anyone.

“If the landlord claims to be out of town or living abroad and cannot show the property in person, this is a major red flag, and you should be very careful,” the CCPC’s deputy director of financial education Muriel Dolan said.

They may request money to secure the room before any mention of a lease, such as a deposit and/or one month’s rent up front. You may even be sent a false contract to sign or fake keys to make it more convincing.

It issued advice to students to make sure they do not fall victim to such scams, including researching the advertising property thoroughly, and using online maps to verify it exists and matches the photos offered.

Students were also told to view the property in person before handing over any deposit or rent, while asking for a written lease or rent book before paying any money.

Proper receipts should be asked for for any payment made, and they have been told to check with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to make sure the rental property is registered.

Furthermore, they were told to pay only by debit or credit card for a better chance to get their money back if something goes wrong.

“Never agree to rent a property you haven’t seen in person,” Ms Dolan said.

Always complete all relevant checks before payment and never ever pay cash or by Revolut. Instead, pay in a way that is traceable and refundable, and always test the locks to make sure the keys are genuine.

If they do fall victim to a scam, the CCPC said students should contact their bank or credit card company to cancel their cards and secure their account. By doing so, they may also be able to reverse the transaction through a chargeback from the card provider.

Reporting it to An Garda Síochána can help stop the scammer and stop others from becoming victims, the watchdog added.