A rising number of tenants are being targeted by rental scams, with agents warning that fraudsters are using increasingly sophisticated tactics to exploit demand in a tightening market.
Boydens, which operates across Essex and Suffolk, says scammers are focusing on people urgently trying to secure a home, often through online platforms such as Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace.
Common methods include requests for small upfront payments—typically £50 to £100—to secure a viewing that never takes place, or demands for holding deposits of between £800 and £1,500 to “take a property off the market”.
In some cases, fraudsters pose as private landlords or create email addresses designed to closely mimic those of established letting agencies in order to appear legitimate.
Paul Buck, director of sales and lettings at Boydens, said reports of scams are increasing alongside a reduction in available rental stock, with some landlords exiting the sector ahead of changes linked to the Renters’ Rights Act, which is due to come into force on 1 May.
Buck said: “I have been in the industry for 26 years and I have never known the issue to be this widespread.
“Many scams involve properties that have been copied from genuine listings, are advertised at unrealistically low rents and are said to be let by a private landlord who avoids using local agents.
“They often put tenants under huge pressure to act quickly with common phrases being ‘there is lots of interest, so you need to pay today’ or ‘the property will be gone unless you act now’. Scammers will also come up with reasons why a property can’t be viewed in person.
“Other red flags include being asked to pay via personal bank transfers, payment apps, gift cards or cryptocurrency.”
Buck added: “I have heard from agents across the country who say the number of rental scams is on the rise, but there are steps that tenants can take to protect themselves.
“We have a policy of always calling a tenant if their application for a property has been successful and, if people have any doubts, they can always come into one of our branches to see us in person.
“Similarly, with any payments we will always call a tenant and explain the process with payments by card or bank transfer. We would also encourage tenants to use trusted sites such as one of the main property portals or a lettings agent’s own site to search for properties rather than marketplaces.
“We have taken several steps at Boydens to combat the threat of scams including investing extensively in our IT support and cyber security and ensuring the issue is covered within our staff training programme.”
