How to househunt safely

A guide to being vigilant when looking for private sector housing:


• View properties in person. People willing
to rent a property without seeing it, or the
prospective tenant fi rst are unlikely to be
legitimate.
• For reasons of safety, always take
someone with you, or if you are inviting
someone into your home ask to see
personal ID.
• Try and make sure you can look round the
property before handing over any deposit
money or money in advance.
• Try visiting the property at different times
of day. People are around at different times
of the day, so the levels of noise will differ
throughout.
• Don’t be afraid to speak to neighbours and
people living in the surrounding area. They
will give you a good idea of what it’s like to
live there and usually they’re quite honest.
• Take a camera to properties and record any
damage you might see, it’s good to have
your own record to prove what condition
you received the property in.
• Never give any of your personal ID or bank
details out over the Internet. Only give
this information to a landlord or agency
once you’ve met them in person, viewed
the property and decided to proceed with
a rental arrangement. Requests for this
information from someone you haven’t
met should always be viewed with extreme
caution.
• Be aware of online scams such as the of
use money transfer services like Western
Union or Money gram. Money transfer
services are not meant for any kind of
transaction connected with someone you
don’t know.
• Use your common sense. If something
sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Always get a receipt when handing over
any money.
• Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions
when viewing a property, that’s what the
agent/landlord is there for.