You should never pay a deposit, advance rent, holding fee, or any unusual payment before viewing a property, because requests for money before a viewing are one of the most common warning signs of rental scams.
Payments that are risky before confirming the property include:
- deposits requested before a viewing
- advance rent payments before seeing the property
- “reservation” or “holding” fees requested immediately
- payments requested through unusual methods such as gift cards or cryptocurrency
In most cases, a legitimate landlord or agent will allow you to view the property and review the rental terms before asking for payment.
Why scammers ask for payment before viewing a rental property
A common rental scam tactic is to pressure renters into sending money before they have confirmed that the property is real and available.
This can happen for several reasons:
-
The property may not actually exist
Scammers sometimes advertise properties they do not own or manage. -
The listing may use copied photos or descriptions
Fraudulent listings often reuse images or text from other websites to make the property look real. -
The scammer may create urgency
They may say many people are interested and push you to send money quickly to “secure” the property.
Rentola takes steps to support safer searching by reviewing listings, applying verification standards, and allowing suspicious listings to be reported. Even so, users should always stay careful before making any payment.
What you should do before making any payment
Before transferring money for a rental property, you should:
- arrange a viewing of the property
- confirm the landlord’s or agent’s identity
- review the rental agreement carefully
- check that the property details match the listing
- ask questions if anything is unclear
- make sure you understand exactly what any payment is for
If anything feels rushed, inconsistent, or unclear, it is better to pause and verify the details first.
If a landlord becomes difficult to reach or stops responding, that can also be a warning sign worth paying attention to.