Rental Listing Scams in Belgium
Fake rental ads on Immoweb and Facebook Marketplace targeting Belgian house-hunters, collecting deposits for properties that do not exist or are not available.
Part of: Rental Listing Scams
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Belgium's competitive rental market — particularly in Brussels, Ghent, and Antwerp — is exploited by fraudsters who post fake listings on Immoweb.be and Facebook Marketplace. Victims, including many EU institution workers and students new to Belgium, lose deposits and first-month rent to listings they can never access.
Federal consumer-protection bodies and Immoweb itself run anti-fraud programmes, but the volume of fake listings remains significant. Properties near EU institutions in Brussels are disproportionately used in fraudulent listings.
How this scam works on Belgium
A credible listing for an apartment near EU institutions or a university appears below market rate on Immoweb or Facebook Marketplace. The 'landlord' communicates only via email or WhatsApp in French or Dutch, claiming to be abroad on a diplomatic posting.
They request first-month rent and deposit via bank transfer to 'secure' the property before their return, sending a professional-looking lease in French or Dutch. After payment, contact ceases and the listing is removed.
Some operations use Airbnb-style contracts with fabricated Belgian eID-verified signatures to appear authentic.
Common red flags
- Rental price substantially below comparable Immoweb listings in the same area
- Landlord communicates only via email or WhatsApp, never agrees to an in-person viewing
- Request for deposit before viewing
- Landlord claims to be abroad on diplomatic or EU assignment
- Listing photos found on other Belgian property sites via reverse-image search
- Lease includes no verifiable Belgian national register number for the landlord
How to protect yourself
- Always view a property in person before paying anything
- Verify the landlord's property ownership via the Belgian Cadastre (SPF Finances)
- Use the standard Belgian rental contract template from Service Public Fédéral
- Pay deposits only to a blocked account (comptes bloqués / geblokkeerde rekening) as required by Belgian law
- Contact CAL (Centre d'Arbitrage pour Logement) for dispute guidance
- Report fake listings to Immoweb via their fraud-reporting tool
How to report it
- Report to Immoweb.be using the listing flag feature
- File a complaint at police.be
- Contact CPAS/OCMW for vulnerable renter support if applicable
Frequently asked questions
How do I verify who owns a rental property in Belgium before paying a deposit?
Check ownership through the Belgian Cadastre (SPF Finances) using the property address, and compare it to the name of whoever is requesting your deposit. Any mismatch should stop you from proceeding.
The landlord for a Brussels apartment near EU institutions claims to be on a diplomatic posting — is that suspicious?
This is a commonly used excuse in Belgian rental scams because it sounds plausible near EU institutions specifically. Treat any inability-to-view excuse paired with an upfront payment demand as high risk, regardless of the explanation given.
I already sent a deposit for a fake Immoweb listing — what should I do?
Contact your bank promptly to ask about recalling the transfer, file a complaint at police.be, and report the listing to Immoweb so they can remove it and warn other users.
Is a Belgian rental deposit legally required to go into a blocked account?
Yes. Under Belgian law, private rental deposits must be held in a blocked bank account (rekening op naam van de huurder / compte bloqué au nom du locataire). A landlord demanding direct transfer is either uninformed or a scammer.