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
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.