I Think I’m Being Scammed — What Should I Do?

If you suspect a scam, stop all contact immediately and report it to Uniplaces. Your first rental payment and the Uniplaces service fee are always paid through the Uniplaces checkout — Uniplaces will never ask you to pay them via bank transfer or any method outside the website. Any other payment — the security deposit, an admin fee, rent paid in advance, or anything else — is paid directly to the landlord, and is legitimate as long as it is stated on the listing you booked and your booking is already confirmed.

Signs you might be getting scammed

Most rental scams follow recognisable patterns. Watch out for these red flags:

Requests to pay anything before your booking is confirmed — bank transfer, cash, PayPal to a personal account, or any other method. Until Uniplaces confirms your booking, nobody should be asking you for money.
Being asked to pay your first rent or the Uniplaces service fee outside the checkout — these are always paid on uniplaces.com, never directly to the landlord.
A charge that isn’t on the listing you booked — a deposit, admin fee, rent in advance or any other cost that doesn’t appear in the listing’s Services and Expenses section or rental conditions, or an amount higher than what was listed.
A price far below anything comparable — if a listing is priced well under similar places in the same city and neighbourhood, treat it with caution.
Landlord claims to be abroad — and says they’ll send keys by post or courier after you pay a deposit. This is a classic scam setup.
Pressure to decide quickly — “I have other interested tenants, you need to confirm now.” Legitimate landlords give you time to decide.
Photos that look too perfect — stock images or photos copied from interior design websites. Reverse image search any photos you’re suspicious of.
Communication moved off-platform — landlord asks you to continue via WhatsApp or email before a booking is confirmed.

Which payments are legitimate — and which are not

Knowing what you should and shouldn’t be paying, and to whom, is the quickest way to spot a scam.

Paid through Uniplaces, at checkout: your first rental payment and the Uniplaces service fee. These go through the checkout on uniplaces.com — cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal or Klarna. No landlord and nobody from Uniplaces will ever ask you to pay these by bank transfer, cash or to a personal account.

Paid directly to your landlord: everything else. Depending on the listing, this can include the security deposit, an admin fee, a cleaning fee, the last month’s rent paid in advance, and your rent from the second month onwards. These are never processed through Uniplaces. The rule is simple: any payment is legitimate as long as it is stated on the listing you booked — in the Services and Expenses section or the rental conditions — and your booking is already confirmed. Some landlords ask for these payments before your check-in date, others on move-in day; either is normal as long as the charge and amount match what the listing says.

A direct payment request is only a warning sign when one of these is true: your booking isn’t confirmed yet, the charge isn’t on the listing, or the amount is higher than what was listed. In any of those cases, don’t pay — contact Uniplaces support first.

Step 1 — Stop all contact immediately

If something feels wrong, trust that instinct. Stop responding to the person immediately — do not send any more messages, do not share any personal documents, and do not make any payment under any circumstances.

Engaging further — even to confront the scammer — gives them more opportunity to pressure you. The right move is to go silent and report.

Step 2 — Don’t pay anything you can’t verify

Before paying anything directly to a landlord, check two things: that your booking is confirmed on Uniplaces, and that the payment — and its amount — is stated on the listing you booked. If either check fails, don’t pay.

Never pay your first rent or the Uniplaces service fee outside the checkout, whatever the reason given. Uniplaces will never ask you to pay these by bank transfer, cash, or any method outside the website.

Step 3 — Report to Uniplaces immediately

Contact the Uniplaces support team and report the situation. Include:

The listing URL or reference number
The name or email address of the person who contacted you
Screenshots of any suspicious messages
Details of any payment requests made outside the platform

Uniplaces takes fraud reports seriously and investigates all reports. Fraudulent listings are removed and reported accounts are suspended. Your report also protects other tenants who might encounter the same scammer.

Step 4 — Report to local authorities if needed

If you’ve already made a payment outside the platform and believe you’ve been defrauded, report it to your local police and your bank immediately. Your bank may be able to reverse the transaction if you act quickly enough.

In Portugal, report to the Polícia Judiciária. In Spain, the Guardia Civil or Policía Nacional. In Italy, the Polizia Postale. In Germany, your local Polizei. In France, the Police Nationale.

How Uniplaces protects you

Every listing on Uniplaces goes through a review process before going live. Landlords must verify their identity and property details.

Your first rental payment is also handled by the platform rather than paid straight to the landlord: Uniplaces holds it and only releases it 24 hours after you move in, so you have time to check the property first. See What Is the Uniplaces 24-Hour Safety Period? for how that works.

When to contact Uniplaces support

You’ve received a suspicious message from someone claiming to be a landlord or Uniplaces
You’ve been asked to pay anything before your booking is confirmed
You’ve been asked to pay your first rent or the service fee outside the Uniplaces checkout
A landlord is asking for a payment that isn’t stated on the listing you booked, or for more than the listed amount
You believe you’ve encountered a fraudulent listing
You’ve already made a payment and suspect fraud

Frequently asked questions

What if I’ve already paid outside the platform?

Contact your bank immediately and ask them to reverse the transaction — acting within the first few hours gives you the best chance of recovery. Also report the fraud to Uniplaces support and to your local police. Save all evidence — messages, payment receipts, names and email addresses.

Can I verify a listing is real before booking?

Yes — all live listings on Uniplaces have passed a review process. If you’re unsure about a listing, check whether it appears on the actual Uniplaces website. If someone shares a link that doesn’t lead to uniplaces.com, don’t trust it. You can also contact Uniplaces support to verify a listing reference before proceeding.

A landlord is asking me to pay outside Uniplaces — is that a scam?

It depends on what you’re being asked to pay, and when.

If your booking isn’t confirmed yet, yes — no legitimate landlord will ask you to pay anything before Uniplaces confirms the booking, however genuine the rest of the conversation seems. Report it to Uniplaces support and don’t pay.

If you’re being asked to pay your first rent or the Uniplaces service fee directly, yes — those are always paid through the Uniplaces checkout.

If your booking is confirmed and the landlord is asking for a payment that is stated on the listing you booked — the security deposit, an admin fee, rent paid in advance, or any other listed charge — that is normal. These payments are made directly to the landlord, never through Uniplaces, and some landlords ask for them before check-in. Check that the amount matches the listing before paying. If the payment wasn’t stated on the listing, or the landlord asks for more than the listed amount, contact Uniplaces support before paying anything.

My landlord wants the deposit, admin fee or rent in advance before I check in — is that normal?

Yes, as long as your booking is confirmed and the payment is stated on the listing you booked. Many landlords ask for the security deposit, admin fee or rent in advance before the check-in date; others collect them on move-in day. What matters is that the payment and the amount were disclosed on the listing before you booked. See What Is the Admin Fee? and How Does the Security Deposit Work on Uniplaces? for details.

Will Uniplaces refund me if I was scammed on the platform?

If something has gone wrong with a payment you made through Uniplaces, contact the support team and they will look into what happened. Payments made outside the platform — including deposits, fees and rent paid directly to a landlord — are not covered by Uniplaces’ protections. This is why you should only pay a landlord directly for payments that are stated on the listing you booked, and only once your booking is confirmed.

Still need help?

Contact our support team →