Fake Landlord

The fake landlord scam is a particularly harmful form of rental fraud because it can leave victims both without their deposit and without a place to live. The fraudster lists a property — typically copied from a legitimate listing on another platform, or a property they have short-term access to — and advertises it at an attractive price. They collect a deposit and often the first month's rent, then disappear.

Variants include the 'too busy to show' landlord who sends keys that do not work after payment, the landlord who has multiple simultaneous victims all believing they have secured the same property, and the 'subletting fraud' scenario where a tenant (not the real owner) lets the property without authorisation.

Victims should be especially cautious of landlords who refuse in-person viewings, ask for payments via bank transfer before any contract is signed, offer properties at significantly below-market rent, and communicate only by messaging app. Verifying the landlord's identity against Land Registry records (to confirm property ownership) and requesting in-person ID is the most effective defence.