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

The landlord who is abroad

The "owner" says they have moved abroad for work or family reasons and cannot show the flat. They offer to send the keys by post or courier once you have paid the deposit and first rent. There is no flat for you; the money is gone.

Pay first, view later

You are asked for a deposit, a "reservation fee" or the first rent before any viewing or before a contract is signed, often with pressure such as "many people are interested, pay today to secure it".

Fake payment or booking platforms

The scammer suggests handling payment "safely" through a well-known holiday rental or marketplace platform and sends a link to a page that looks real. The Verbraucherzentrale points out that such platforms do not handle long-term residential lettings this way. Fake emails that imitate flat portals and ask you to log in are also used to steal your account details.

Harvesting your identity

Before any viewing, you are asked to send a copy of your passport or ID, payslips or bank statements "to be considered". Criminals use such documents to open bank accounts, order goods or sign contracts in your name.

"Please complete a video identification"

You are asked to take part in a video identification (Video-Ident) to "verify" yourself for a viewing. Police crime prevention warns that people are tricked into video identifications that actually open bank accounts, which can then be used for money laundering in their name.

Illegal agent fees and selling addresses

Someone asks for a viewing fee, an "administration fee" or a commission although the landlord commissioned the agent. Under German law an agent may only charge a tenant who commissioned them in text form, and other fees connected with the letting are not allowed. A different scam sells a registration address so you can do your Anmeldung without living there; offering such an address is prohibited and can be fined up to €50,000.

Be cautious if several of these apply:

• The rent is far below comparable flats in the area.
• The landlord cannot meet you, cannot show the flat, or offers to send keys by post.
• You are asked to pay before a viewing or before signing a contract.
• The bank account is in a different country from the flat, or in a name that differs from the landlord's.
• You are asked for ID copies, payslips or bank statements in the first messages.
• The listing lacks basic details, such as the breakdown into cold and warm rent or energy certificate information, or the text and photos look copied from elsewhere.
• The messages are written in poor or oddly translated German, come from unusual email addresses or contain suspicious attachments, or a supposed agency has no proper company information (Impressum).

1. Check the address. Make sure the street and house number exist and that the building matches the photos.
2. Run a reverse image search on the photos. If they appear in older listings in other cities, on hotel sites or in furniture catalogues, walk away.
3. Compare the price. In Berlin, the official rent index query shows the local comparative rent. A rent far below both the rent index and typical asking rents is a red flag, not a lucky find.
4. Insist on a viewing. Go yourself or send someone you trust. A live video walk-through is better than photos, but it does not prove that the person has the right to let the flat.
5. Identify your contract partner. Ask for the landlord's full name and address, or the company name. For a company or agency, check its Impressum and look it up in the free company register portal.
6. Read the contract before paying. The landlord named in the contract should match the person you are dealing with and the holder of the bank account.
7. Pay safely. Pay only after signing, by bank transfer to an account in the landlord's or company's name. A cash deposit may be paid in three monthly instalments, so there is never a legitimate need to pay everything up front to a stranger. If you pay in cash, get a signed receipt.

• No money before you have viewed the flat and signed a contract with an identifiable landlord.
• No ID copy at a viewing or in a first message. Germany's data protection authorities say a landlord may check your identity at a viewing by looking at your ID, but making a copy is not necessary and therefore not permitted. Proof of income is usually only needed once the landlord has chosen you.
• No full credit report or bank history. Landlords may not demand the complete free credit data copy; a tenancy-specific credit certificate is enough.
• No passwords, TANs or one-time codes, and no video identification started at someone else's request.

When you do share a copy of an ID, mark it clearly as a copy, for example with the recipient's name, the purpose and the date, and black out data that are not needed. For German ID cards, the law requires copies to be clearly and permanently recognisable as copies.

Act quickly; every hour can count.

1. Contact your bank immediately and ask whether the transfer can be recalled. There is no guarantee that a bank transfer can be reversed. A direct debit can usually be returned within eight weeks.
2. Report it to the police. In Berlin you can file a report online through the police online station, which is available in German and English. Elsewhere, use the online reporting service of your state police, which you can find through polizei.de, or go to any police station. In an emergency or if you are in danger, call 110.
3. Report the listing and the account to the portal where you found it, so it can be removed and others warned.
4. Keep evidence: the listing (screenshots), all messages and emails, names, phone numbers, account details and payment receipts.
5. If you sent identity documents: watch for unexpected letters, contracts or bank cards, request your free credit data copy from SCHUFA to see whether accounts were opened in your name, and change passwords for affected accounts. If your ID card or passport was lost or stolen, report it to the issuing authority.

The Verbraucherzentrale Berlin and the district tenant advice services can help you understand your options.