Renting a room safely

Most listers are honest. The few who are not follow the same script every time — and once you know it, it is easy to spot. Five rules keep you safe.

1. 1. Never pay before you have seen the room.

   No deposit, no "holding fee", no "admin fee" — nothing — until you have stood inside the room and met the person letting it. A real lister will always let you view first. "Pay to secure it" before a viewing is the number-one scam.

2. 2. We never hold your money. Nor should a stranger.

   This site records who holds the deposit; it is never us, and it should never be a person you have only chatted to online. Pay the deposit to the property owner or their named agent, in person or to a verified account, once you have agreed terms — and get it in writing.

3. 3. Meet in daylight, and tell someone where you are going.

   View during the day, bring a friend if you can, and send someone the address and the lister's number before you go. A lister who refuses an in-person viewing, or keeps changing the address, is one to walk away from.

4. 4. Watch for the red flags.

   • A price far below everything else nearby — scammers bait with cheap rooms.
   • Pressure to decide now, or "someone else is about to take it".
   • The lister is "out of town" and can only send keys after payment.
   • Photos that look like a show house, or that appear on other listings elsewhere.
   • Only one way to reach them, and they avoid a phone call.

5. 5. Get the agreement in writing.

   Even a short written agreement — rent, deposit, what is included, notice period — gives you something to stand on. Under the Rental Housing Act you have rights even without a lease, but a written record makes them far easier to enforce.

If something feels wrong

Report the listing to us — a reported listing is reviewed and removed if it is a scam, and that protects the next person. If you have lost money, open a case at your nearest police station; a written agreement and payment records make a real difference.

General safety guidance, not legal advice. We advertise listings; we are not an agent and we never hold deposits or rent.