Rental scams in France: how to spot them and what to do

The landlord who cannot meet you

The "owner" says they live abroad or have just moved for work and will send the keys by post or courier once you have paid the deposit and first month's rent. There is no flat for you, and the money is gone.

Pay to secure or to visit

You are asked for a "reservation fee", a deposit or a first rent before any visit or before a lease, often with pressure such as "many people are interested". In France no money can be requested before the lease is signed, so any such request is a red flag.

The real flat, the fake landlord

Some scammers rent a flat for a day on a short-term platform and hold viewings there, then ask for the deposit and first rent in cash on the spot. Others copy a genuine advert and its photos and post it at a lower price under a different name.

Fake payment pages and platform look-alikes

The scammer suggests paying "safely" through a well-known booking site or a payment service and sends a link to a page that only looks real, or asks you to leave the platform's messaging to continue by email or messaging app.

Harvesting your dossier

Before any visit, you are asked for a passport copy, payslips, tax notice and bank details "to be considered". Criminals use such files to open bank accounts, take out credit or rent flats in your name. Remember that bank statements are not on the legal list of documents a landlord may ask for.

Fake agencies and illegal fees

A supposed agency asks for registration or "file" fees before showing anything, or sells lists of flats that turn out to be unavailable. Real agencies may only charge you for four services, after signing and within legal caps.

Be cautious if several of these apply:

• The rent is clearly below comparable homes in the same area.
• The landlord cannot meet you, cannot show the home or offers to send keys by post.
• You are asked to pay before visiting or before signing a lease, or to pay by money transfer service, gift cards, cryptocurrency or to a foreign account.
• The person asks you to leave the advert platform and continue by email or messaging app.
• You are asked for a full dossier in the first message.
• The advert has no energy rating (DPE), no living area or no charges information, or the photos appear elsewhere online.
• The person refuses to prove that they own the home or that they are authorised to let it.

1. Check the address and make sure the building matches the photos. Visit the street if you can.
2. Run a reverse image search on the photos. If they appear in older adverts, hotel sites or other cities, walk away.
3. Compare the price. In Paris, the official rent control simulator shows the maximum rent for that type of flat; a rent far below typical levels is a warning sign, not luck.
4. Insist on a visit, in person or by someone you trust. A live video tour is better than photos but does not prove that the person may let the flat.
5. Ask for proof of ownership, for example the latest property tax notice (avis de taxe foncière) in the landlord's name, and compare the name with the lease and the bank account. For an agency, check its professional card (carte professionnelle) number and company details.
6. Read the lease before paying. The landlord on the lease, the person you deal with and the account holder should match.
7. Pay safely and only after signing, by bank transfer to an account in the landlord's or agency's name, and keep the receipt. Never pay cash to a stranger without a signed receipt.

• Send documents only when a visit has taken place or is confirmed with an identifiable landlord or agency.
• Add a watermark to every copy stating the recipient, the purpose and the date, for example "Dossier location – Agence X – 07/10/2026". The state's free tool FiligraneFacile adds a watermark to a document you upload and deletes the file once it has been processed.
• Use the state service DossierFacile to build a verified rental file that you share by link, which also watermarks your documents.
• Never send passwords, one-time codes or card details, and never accept to "verify" yourself through a bank or payment app at a landlord's request.

Act quickly.

1. Call your bank immediately and ask whether the payment can be stopped or recalled. Recovery is not guaranteed, so do it the same day.
2. Report it to the police. For internet scams you can file a complaint online through THESEE, the Ministry of the Interior's online complaint service for e-scams, available to adults via masecurite.interieur.gouv.fr. You can also go to any police station or gendarmerie. In an emergency, call 17 or 112.
3. Report the advert to the platform where you found it, so it is removed and others are warned.
4. Keep evidence: screenshots of the advert, all messages, names, phone numbers, bank details and payment receipts.
5. If you sent identity documents, watch for unexpected letters, credit offers or accounts in your name, change passwords of affected accounts, and mention the documents in your complaint.
6. Get support. The free Info Escroqueries line 0805 805 817 (Monday to Friday) advises scam victims, and the victim support line 116 006 (France Victimes, seven days a week) offers free help. The government platform Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr has a step-by-step guide for rental scams.

If a business is involved, for example an agency charging illegal fees, you can also report it on SignalConso, the consumer reporting service of the DGCCRF.