Gardai urge students to be wary of accommodation fraud

An Garda Síochána have warned students across the country to be wary of accommodation fraud, as it usually peaks as new students seek to take up their places at third-level institutions.

Gardai have said that in the first six months of this year, accommodation fraud reports are up by 22%.

Approximately 160 cases have been recorded by Gardai, with reported losses totalling €385,000, compared to €617,000 for the full year of 2024.

Gardai have advised students to look out for red flags when seeking out accommodation, some of which include:

- Where your knowledge of it came from, an unsolicited contact / social media feed / pop-up advert or where the contact appears to be based in other jurisdictions.

- The listing contains grammar or spelling mistakes, and/or there are very limited details or pictures of the property.

- When the property is offered with no questions asked, and payment is demanded immediately before signing the lease.

Along with this, Gardai have issued advice for people who are looking for accommodation this year, which includes:

- Do your own research on the advertisement and the property.

- Only use recognised letting agencies or deal with people who are bona fide and trusted, ie, the college or student unions.

- Be wary of cloned websites: ensure the site is real – check the URL, look for the trust seals; check the privacy policy, refunds policy section, contact sections, even for spelling errors; check the website’s policy on refunds.

As rental properties become more and more difficult to source, Gardai are urging people to be vigilant when it comes to their search for accommodation.