How to Avoid Rental Scams in the Netherlands (2026 Guide)

Finding a rental in the Netherlands as an expat is hard enough without fraudsters preying on you. Scammers know that newcomers are under time pressure, unfamiliar with Dutch tenancy law, and willing to wire a deposit quickly to "secure" a property. This guide walks you through the most common rental scams targeting expats, the red flags to watch for, how to verify a listing before paying a cent, and what to do if you have already been scammed.

The most common rental scams targeting expats

The same handful of scams come up again and again on Facebook groups, Marktplaats, and even on legitimate-looking websites. The fake landlord abroad is the classic: someone claims to own a property in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or Utrecht but is "currently working abroad" and cannot show it in person. They ask you to wire a deposit and first month's rent to a foreign IBAN in exchange for keys sent by post. The keys never arrive.

A second variant is the cloned listing: a real apartment from Funda or Pararius is re-posted on a cheaper platform at a lower price by someone who does not own it. A third pattern is the illegal agency fee, where a "broker" demands one month's rent as a finder's fee before showing the property — this has been illegal in the Netherlands since 2023.

Red flags to watch for

Most rental scams share a recognizable pattern. Treat any of the following as a serious warning:

• The price is 20% or more below the market rate for the neighborhood
• The landlord refuses an in-person viewing or insists on a video tour only
• You are asked to pay a deposit before signing a written rental contract
• Payment must be made by international bank transfer, crypto, or money order
• The contract is sent as a generic PDF with no company details or Dutch tax ID (VAT)
• The listing uses photos that appear in reverse-image search on other websites
• The "landlord" pressures you to decide within hours, citing other interested tenants

If you spot two or more of these signs in the same listing, walk away.

How to verify a listing before you pay

Before transferring any money, do the following checks. They take less than thirty minutes and they will catch the vast majority of scams.

1. Reverse-search the photos on Google Images or TinEye. Stolen photos almost always show up elsewhere.
2. Check the address in the Kadaster (the Dutch land registry). For a few euros you can confirm who legally owns the property.
3. Ask for a recent utility bill in the landlord's name showing the same address. A real landlord will have one.
4. Visit in person, or send a trusted local friend if you are not yet in the country. If neither is possible, escrow the deposit with a notary instead of wiring it.
5. Demand a written rental agreement in Dutch or bilingual form before paying anything. A legitimate landlord will not object.

What to do if you have been scammed

Acting quickly matters. Within the first 24 hours you have the best chance of recovering some of your money and stopping the scammer from targeting other expats.

First, contact your bank and request a SEPA recall on the transfer. If the funds have not yet been withdrawn, the recall can succeed. Next, file a police report at politie.nl — you can do this online in English. Report the listing to the platform where you found it so it can be removed, and post a warning in the expat Facebook group for the city. Finally, if the scam involved an illegal agency fee, file a complaint with the Autoriteit Consument & Markt. They actively prosecute these cases.

Conclusion

Rental scams in the Netherlands are common, but they follow predictable patterns. If you slow down, verify the listing, and refuse to pay before signing a written contract, you will avoid almost all of them. Rentrise scans verified Dutch rental platforms 24/7 and only shows listings from sources we trust — start your free trial and skip the scam-spotting altogether.