Spotting and avoiding rental scams in the Netherlands

• The absent landlord. The "owner" says they are abroad, cannot show the home and will send the keys by post or courier once you transfer the deposit and first month's rent. No keys arrive.
• The too-good-to-be-true listing. A spacious, central flat at a price far below the market. According to the City-funded advice service !WOON, cheap housing in the centre of Amsterdam is extremely rare.
• The copied listing. Photos and text are taken from a real listing or holiday rental and re-posted with different contact details, often on social media groups or classified sites.
• The fake booking or payment page. You are sent a link to what looks like a well-known booking or payment platform, but the page is fake and the money goes to the scammer.
• The illegal sublet. The home exists and the person really lives there, but they have no right to sublet it. You may be evicted, and you often cannot register at the address.
• The data harvest. A "landlord" asks for copies of your passport, payslips and bank statements before any viewing, and uses them for identity fraud.

• You cannot view the home, in person or through a live video call that you control, before paying.
• The contact uses only an email address, a mobile number or a social media profile, and will not give a postal or business address.
• You are pressed to decide immediately because "many others are interested", or you hear a personal emergency story.
• Payment is requested by money-transfer service, in cash without a receipt, in cryptocurrency or to a foreign account in another person's name.
• The amounts include extra fees beyond the deposit and first month's rent, such as key money, contract fees or high administration costs.
• The landlord says you cannot register at the address with the municipality. Without registration you cannot get a citizen service number (BSN) through the address, and the arrangement is often illegal.
• The person who signs is not the owner and cannot show written permission from the owner to let the home.

• Check the owner. The Land Registry (Kadaster) sells an ownership report (eigendomsinformatie) for any address; online it costs €3.70 in 2026 and is emailed straight away. Compare the owner's name with the person you are dealing with.
• See the home and test the keys. Visit, or ask someone you trust to visit, and check that the keys open the front door and the flat before you transfer large sums. If you can, talk to a neighbour.
• Confirm you can register. Ask directly whether you may register at the address, and get the answer in writing.
• Check the agent. Agents who belong to a professional association such as NVM (with its Amsterdam branch MVA) or VBO have complaint procedures. Find the company in the Chamber of Commerce (KVK) register and contact it through the details on its own website, not the ones in the message.
• Pay by bank transfer to a Dutch or EU account in the landlord's or agency's name, and keep proof. Never pay before you have a written contract.
• Search the listing. A reverse image search of the photos, or searching key phrases from the text, often shows the same home listed elsewhere under another name or as a holiday rental.

Landlords and agents may need to know who you are, but you rarely need to hand over a full copy of your passport before a viewing. The national government advises making a safe copy (veilige kopie): make your citizen service number unreadable, write "copy" on it, and add the date and the organisation it is for. The free KopieID app from the government does this for you on your phone. For payslips and bank statements, black out details that are not needed, such as account balances you do not want to share.

1. Stop paying and do not send any more documents.
2. Contact your bank immediately. A transfer can sometimes still be stopped or recalled if you act fast.
3. Report it to the police. You can report online in many cases, call the non-emergency number 0900-8844, or make an appointment at a station. Use 112 only in an emergency.
4. Build a file: screenshots of the listing and profile, all messages and emails, payment receipts, and the account numbers used.
5. Report the listing to the website or platform where you found it.
6. Get advice and report. !WOON (for Amsterdam residents) gives free tenant advice; the Fraud Helpdesk (Fraudehelpdesk, 088 786 73 72) registers fraud and helps victims. If your ID was misused, the national Central Reporting Point for Identity Fraud (CMI) can help.