How to spot a rental scam in the Netherlands

Finding a rental home in the Netherlands means acting fast. Scammers know that too. They post listings for homes that don’t exist or aren’t theirs, and count on you being in a hurry. Expats and international students are a favourite target: you may be searching from abroad, you don’t know the local rules yet, and you can’t easily drop by for a viewing.

The good news: almost every rental scam follows the same pattern. Once you recognise it, you’re safe.

The pattern: pay before you can check anything

Nearly every fake landlord wants the same thing. You transfer money before you’ve seen the home and before you know who the landlord really is. It might be called a deposit, the first month’s rent, a “reservation fee” or a payment to take the home off the market.

So the rule is simple: don’t send money until you’ve seen the home, read the contract and confirmed the landlord actually owns or manages it.

8 warning signs of a rental scam

1. The rent is too low for the location

A spacious flat in central Amsterdam for €900? With so many people looking, no landlord needs to go below market price. A low rent is usually the bait.

2. You have to pay before the viewing

A deposit, first month’s rent or a “viewing fee” upfront is the clearest red flag. A real landlord shows you the home first.

3. The landlord can’t show you the home

They’re abroad, working offshore or have just moved. The keys will be sent “by post” once you’ve paid. It’s one of the most common stories in rental fraud.

4. The photos appear elsewhere online

Scammers copy photos from other listings or from hotel and holiday sites. Run them through Google Lens or another reverse image search. If the same home shows up with a different address or price, something is wrong.

5. There’s pressure to decide now

“Five other people are interested, if you pay today it’s yours.” Pressure is a classic trick. A genuine landlord gives you time to read the contract.

6. All contact goes through WhatsApp or Telegram

No website, no company name, no landline. Just a chat with a profile that was created recently. This is especially common on Facebook, TikTok and in WhatsApp groups for expats and students.

7. They want your passport early

A copy of your passport or ID before you’ve seen anything? That can be used for identity fraud. Only share your ID once the home and the landlord check out, and always send a secure copy (see below).

8. You’re asked to pay abroad, through a money transfer service or in crypto

A landlord in the Netherlands has a Dutch bank account in their own name or their company’s. Payments through Western Union, a payment request from an unknown person or crypto are almost impossible to get back.

What a Dutch landlord can and can’t ask for

Knowing the rules helps. Someone who asks for more isn’t automatically a scammer, but you’ll know something isn’t right.

• Deposit (borg): no more than two months’ basic rent (kale huur, the rent without service costs), for contracts signed from 1 July 2023.

• Agency fees (bemiddelingskosten): paid by the landlord, not by you as the tenant.

• Contract: your rental agreement must be in writing (on paper or digital). A verbal agreement alone isn’t enough.

5 checks before you pay

1. View the home in person, or ask someone you trust to go for you. If you’re still abroad, ask for a live video call where they walk through the home and show the street outside. Note that scammers sometimes show a home they’ve rented short-term, so do the other checks after a viewing too.

2. Check the landlord. If it’s a company or agency, look it up in the Dutch Chamber of Commerce register (KvK). Do the address, website and phone number match? For a private landlord, you can check who owns the address through the Land Registry (Kadaster) for a small fee.

3. Search the photos and text. A reverse image search, and a sentence from the listing in quotation marks on Google, often show straight away whether it’s been copied.

4. Read the contract before signing. Does it include the landlord’s name, the address, the rent, the deposit and the start date? Does the name match the bank account you’re paying into? Ask for an English version if you need one, or have someone check the Dutch text.

5. Send a secure copy of your ID. With the Dutch government’s free app KopieID, you can cross out your citizen service number (BSN) and photo, and add who the copy is for and when.

Been scammed? Do this straight away

1. Call your bank immediately. The sooner you call, the better the chance the payment can still be stopped or recovered.

2. Report it to the police. You can do this online at politie.nl or at a police station. Keep all chats, listings, screenshots and payment receipts.

3. Report it to the Fraudehelpdesk (+31 88 786 7372 or fraudehelpdesk.nl). This is the Dutch national fraud helpline. They advise you on next steps and help warn others.

4. Report the listing on the platform where you found it, so it gets taken down.

5. Sent a copy of your ID? Report that too, so any misuse is spotted sooner.

Don’t be embarrassed. Rental scams are designed to catch careful people, precisely because you have to be quick.

Fast, but safe

Responding quickly and being careful go together fine. Reply straight away, but only pay after the checks above. How fast you really need to be is explained in How fast should you respond to a rental listing?

Huurspot collects listings from hundreds of Dutch rental websites and notifies you as soon as a home matches your search. You always apply directly with the landlord. Huurspot will never ask you to pay a deposit or rent.