Inspecting a room and spotting rental scams

The golden rule: inspect before you pay

Never pay anything — bond, deposit, 'holding fee' — before you have seen the room and confirmed the host is real. Every rental scam, without exception, needs you to break this rule.

Still overseas? A live video inspection counts. Ask the host to walk through the room and the street entrance on a video call, in real time — not a pre-recorded clip. A genuine host will happily do this; a scammer will have an excuse ready.

What to check at the inspection

Ten minutes of looking carefully saves months of problems. Bring this list:

• Mould and damp — check walls, ceilings, wardrobes, behind furniture and around windows. Smell the room.
• Locks — does your bedroom door lock? Do the front door and windows lock properly?
• Who actually lives there — ask to meet the housemates, and confirm who the host is (owner? head tenant?).
• Bills — are electricity, gas, internet and water included, and if not, how are they split?
• The basics — water pressure, phone reception, natural light, laundry access, distance to transport.
• The paperwork — what are you signing, how much is the bond, and where will the bond be held?

Day one: photograph everything

The day you get the keys, photograph every wall, floor, ceiling and appliance — including existing marks and damage. If you're given a condition report, note everything on it and keep a copy. There's no fixed deadline for returning it, so send it back as soon as you can and keep a copy for yourself. These photos are what get your bond back later.

The classic scam scripts

Scammers reuse the same lines because they work. Learn them once and you'll recognise them instantly:

• The overseas landlord — 'I'm abroad and can't show the room, but pay and I'll courier the keys.' No inspection, no payment. Ever.
• Manufactured urgency — 'Three other students will pay today.' Real hosts want the right housemate, not the fastest depositor.
• Strange payment methods — gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers to an account in a different name. Legitimate bonds in SA go to CBS, not a stranger's cousin.
• Too cheap to be true — a furnished city ensuite at half the market rate is bait, not luck.
• Off the platform, fast — moving you to WhatsApp or WeChat in the first messages, then sending payment links there, removes the record and any help.

If you're targeted

Being targeted is common and nothing to be ashamed of. Act in this order:

• Stop — send no more money or documents, even if you've already sent some.
• If money has been sent, call your bank's fraud line immediately — transfers can sometimes be recalled within hours.
• Report the account on Zuwu (⋮ menu → Report, then Block) so the same scammer can't reach other students.
• Report it to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) and, for online fraud, to the police. Reporting never affects your visa — you are the victim of a crime.