Suspicious accommodation adverts appearing on facebook.
There have been suspicious offers of housing appearing on the Find Accommodation for Next Year facebook page. ‘Landlords’ are asking for rent and deposits before allowing students to view properties. They are also providing tenancy agreements and asking for passports/visa documents to make the offer seem genuine, but won’t allow viewings, either by the potential tenant or a friend (if they’re not in St Andrews). Last year, some students handed over large sums of money to ‘landlords’ only to find they were the victim of fraud, so the risk is very real.
If you have an offer of accommodation which you feel is suspicious, you can check whether the landlord is registered with Fife Council (a legal requirement unless it is a resident landlord). The website to do this is here, all you need is the property address; if nothing comes up, double check with Fife Council as it isn’t always up to date. If your potential landlord isn’t registered it could mean
- There isn’t a property available to rent
- It is a legal rental property, but the registered landlord is someone different to the person making the offer
- The landlord is renting the property out illegally
In any of these situations, it is not advisable for you to pursue the lease. If you have already handed over money for a fraudulent rental, or suspect an offer you’ve been given isn’t genuine, it is recommended that you contact Fife police on 101. You can also contact the Admin team on the facebook page to get the fraudulent post removed. If you would like further advice, you can contact Naomi, the Accommodation Advocate who will be able to help.