Rental scams targeting international students have grown with the housing crisis. The good news: almost every scam follows one of five predictable patterns, and a short checklist will catch most of them before you lose money.
1. The advance-fee scam
A listing at below-market price asks you to wire a deposit or the first month's rent before any viewing. After you pay, the landlord disappears or the address turns out not to exist.
Defence: never transfer money for a room you haven't physically viewed, or at minimum confirmed via a live video call where the landlord shows their ID and the space on the same call.
2. The fake-landlord scam
A scammer copies a legitimate listing from Pararius or Funda and reposts it on Facebook or Kamernet as 'theirs', claiming to be abroad and unable to meet. When you contact the real owner, they have no idea.
Defence: reverse-image-search the listing photos and compare the address against Funda/Pararius. If the same photos appear under a different name or price, walk away.
3. Inflated or fabricated service costs
Not technically illegal, but predatory: the landlord sets base rent at a normal level and then adds €200–€400 in unitemised 'service costs' for things like cleaning, Wi-Fi, and 'administration'. Dutch law limits what can be charged as service costs, and the Huurcommissie regularly rules these down.
Defence: ask for an itemised breakdown before signing. If the landlord refuses or the numbers don't match reality, treat it as a hard red flag.
4. The bait-and-switch
You view a beautiful apartment, agree terms, and the landlord then claims the room is 'taken' but offers you a different, much worse place at the same price — or refuses to refund your hold deposit.
Defence: never pay a hold deposit. Dutch law allows it but there's no legal obligation to do so, and legitimate landlords will not lose your application over an unpaid reservation fee.
5. The impersonated-platform scam
You receive a message claiming to be from a well-known platform (Kamernet, HousingAnywhere, even House Hunter) asking you to 'verify' your payment details or complete a transaction outside the app. The link leads to a phishing site.
Defence: always verify URLs and never enter payment details in a link you received by message. Real platforms will only ever ask for payment through their own website, which you reach by typing the address yourself.
Red-flag checklist
If a listing or landlord has any two of these, move on:
- Price more than 25% below market
- Landlord unavailable to meet in person
- Pressure to pay before viewing
- No written rental contract on offer
- Service costs above €150 without itemisation
- Payment requested outside a recognised platform
- Stock photography or photos that appear elsewhere online