Rental Scams Australia: How to Spot Them Before They Spot You

The phantom listing: A scammer copies a real listing from realestate.com.au or Domain, posts it on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree at a below-market rent, and asks for a deposit to 'secure' the property. The property either does not exist as a rental, is already let, or belongs to someone else entirely.

The overseas landlord: The scammer claims to be managing the property remotely and is unable to show you through. Instead, they send you a key by mail — after you pay a holding deposit. The key either does not exist or fits a property they have no right to rent.

The fake property manager: A scam account impersonates a legitimate local real estate agency, using logos, agent names, and real photos scraped from their website. Everything looks professional. The listings are fake and the agency knows nothing about them.

The deposit scammer: After submitting a real application through a real agent, a third party contacts you posing as the agent, requesting you pay the bond and first month's rent to a 'fast settlement' account — not the agency's known bank details.

The following are warning signs that a listing may not be legitimate:

If you see more than one of these, do not proceed without independent verification.

• The rent is significantly below comparable properties in the area
• The listing appears only on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, or social media — not on Domain or realestate.com.au
• The landlord or agent is unable or unwilling to show you the property in person before taking payment
• There is urgency pressure: 'I have three other applicants, I need a deposit today'
• Payment is requested by bank transfer to a personal account rather than a real estate agency trust account
• The reply-to email address does not match a legitimate agency domain
• The listing photos appear on Google Image Search in relation to a different address or a property in another city

Before paying any money on a rental property:

1. Google the address independently. Check if the property appears on realestate.com.au or Domain. If the listing claims to be by a specific agency, call that agency directly using a number you find on their official website — not one provided in the listing.
2. Verify the property exists as advertised. Do a Google Street View check. Does the property look like the photos? Is the address real?
3. Never pay before inspecting. A legitimate rental listing will allow you to inspect before you pay anything. If someone is asking for a holding deposit sight-unseen, walk away.
4. Check bank details carefully. All legitimate rent and bond payments to a real estate agency go to a trust account, which is regulated. Ask for the trust account BSB and account name, then verify that account name matches the agency name.
5. Reverse image search the photos. Right-click any listing photo in Chrome and select 'Search image with Google'. If the photos appear in listings for a different property or in a different city, the listing is fraudulent.

If you have paid money to a rental scammer:

Unfortunately, recovery of money lost to rental scams is difficult once the payment has been processed. Prevention is the only reliable strategy.

• Contact your bank immediately. If the transfer is recent, your bank may be able to reverse it or freeze the destination account. Speed is critical — contact them within 24 hours if possible.
• Report to Scamwatch. The ACCC's Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) collects scam reports and uses them to warn the public. Your report can protect others.
• Report to the state police. Rental fraud is a criminal matter. Lodge a report with your state police, especially if the amount is significant.
• Contact your state consumer protection agency. NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria, WA Consumer Protection, or the equivalent in your state.

Facebook Marketplace has become the primary channel for rental scams in Australia because it has almost no verification and listing removal is slow. Signs of a Marketplace rental scam include: the lister has a new account with few friends, the listing has been cross-posted to multiple city groups, and the price is too good to be true.

If you are looking at rentals on Marketplace, apply the same verification steps as above, and be especially sceptical of listings that do not also appear on the major rental portals. Most legitimate private rentals still appear on Domain or realestate.com.au even if they are also advertised on social media.