How to check if a landlord is legit

Seven checks before you pay anything

• See the room in person, or on a live video call where the person walks through it and shows the street outside. Photos alone prove nothing.
• Confirm who you are dealing with: full name, ID or company registration number, and a physical address. An agent should be able to show a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate from the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority.
• Match the bank account to the name. The account holder should be the landlord, agency or residence - not a third party.
• Search the name, phone number and address with the word "scam", and check the listing is not copied from another site.
• Ask for the lease before you pay, not after.
• Talk to a current tenant if you can.
• Be suspicious of pressure: "three other people want it, pay today" is the oldest trick there is.

What a proper lease looks like

A written lease should state the rent, deposit, start and end dates, what is included, house rules, the notice period and how rent increases. You have the right to ask for the lease in writing. Go through it with our student lease checklist.

Your deposit: what the law says

Under the Rental Housing Act, a deposit must be held in an interest-bearing account and belongs to you. You and the landlord should inspect the room together when you move in and when you move out, and record any defects - take dated photos both times. After you leave, the deposit and interest must be refunded within 7 days if nothing is owed, or within 14 days of repairs being done if there is damage, with receipts for the deductions. If the landlord simply keeps it, you can lodge a complaint with your provincial Rental Housing Tribunal, which is free.

Warning signs

• A price well below similar rooms nearby.
• The "landlord" is overseas, or cannot meet or do a live video call.
• Requests to pay by cash, e-wallet or voucher, or into a personal account that does not match the name.
• No written lease, or refusal to give receipts.
• A "NSFAS placement fee" or a request for your myNSFAS password.
• More examples in our student rental scams guide.

If something goes wrong

Keep every message, receipt and proof of payment. Report fraud to the police and get a case number, tell your bank immediately, report the advert to the platform it appeared on, and tell your university's housing office so other students are warned. For deposit and lease disputes, contact the Rental Housing Tribunal in your province.