How can I tell if a rental offer is legitimate before paying a deposit in Australia?

1 answer from students in Australia

• Rental scams are common, especially in the weeks before semester starts, so it is good you are asking. My one rule: never pay anything - not a deposit, not a "holding fee" - until you have turned up and seen the place in person.

  Warning signs:

  • The rent is much cheaper than similar places nearby.
  • The "landlord" is overseas, can't show you the place, and wants money to "hold" it.
  • They ask for payment by bank transfer to a personal account, gift cards, crypto or a money app.
  • They push you to decide today.

  How to check it is real:

  • Inspect it in person before you sign or pay. A video call is not enough on its own.
  • Search the address and the photos online - scammers often copy real listings.
  • Ask for a written lease (residential tenancy agreement) before paying.
  • Your bond must be lodged with the state bond authority (for example the ACT Revenue Office or NSW Fair Trading), and you should get a receipt. Ask how they will lodge it.

  Not in Australia yet, or nervous about going alone? Book a MyUniMentor mentor - a student who already lives in your city - to go and see the place with you before you sign anything. They know what a fair rent looks like and which questions to ask the landlord.

  Your university's accommodation or student support team can also check a listing for free. And if you have already paid a scammer, contact your bank straight away and report it to Scamwatch.

  

  LukasBronze volunteer

  23 Oct 2026