Rental Scams in Germany: How to Spot a Fake Landlord Before You Pay a Deposit
Germany's tight rental market — especially in big cities — makes apartment hunting stressful, and scammers know it. Internationals are a frequent target: unfamiliarity with the language and the local system makes it harder to notice when something's off. Here are the scams that actually show up, and how to tell a real listing from a fake one before you pay a single euro.
The most common scam patterns
The “landlord abroad” scam. The listing looks great, the price is just a little below market, and the “landlord” explains they’re currently working or traveling abroad and can’t show the apartment in person. They ask you to wire the deposit — sometimes a first month’s rent too — before any viewing, promising to mail the keys once payment clears. There is no apartment, and the keys never arrive.
Copied listings. Scammers lift real photos and descriptions from legitimate ads on platforms like ImmobilienScout24 or eBay Kleinanzeigen, repost them under a fake account at a slightly lower price, and wait for applicants who are moving fast and don’t double-check.
Document harvesting. Instead of asking for money directly, some scammers ask for copies of your passport, visa, pay slips, and bank statements — sometimes even a photo of you holding your ID — under the guise of “tenant verification.” That’s far more personal data than any real landlord needs before a viewing, and it can be used for identity theft on its own.
Fake subletting. A scammer rents an apartment short-term (or gains access to one temporarily), pretends to be the landlord or a departing tenant, shows you the real apartment, takes a deposit and first month’s rent — and disappears. When you try to move in, the keys don’t work and the real occupant has no idea who you are.
Warning signs to watch for
- Rent priced 20–30% below comparable listings in the same area — a classic lure to make you overlook other red flags.
- Pressure to pay before viewing, before signing a contract, or before you’ve met the landlord in any verifiable way.
- Requests for payment via Western Union, cryptocurrency, or any account outside the EU/EEA — legitimate German rent deposits are held at regulated European banks, never anything like this.
- A “landlord” who refuses phone calls, communicates only through messaging apps, and gives inconsistent contact details across platforms.
- Any fee just to view the apartment. Under § 4 of the Wohnungsvermittlungsgesetz (Residential Tenancy Brokerage Act), this is not just suspicious — it’s illegal.
How to verify a listing before you pay anything
- Reverse image search the listing photos. If the same photos appear on a different site, under a different name or price, you’ve found a copied listing.
- Insist on a viewing — in person if at all possible, or at minimum a live video call where you can ask the “landlord” to show you around in real time, not a pre-recorded video.
- Verify the IBAN directly by phone or in person, separately from the email or chat message that contains it — scammers intercept or spoof email threads and swap in their own account details at the last moment. See how a legitimate digital escrow setup handles this for what a real deposit account should look like.
- Check that the account name matches the landlord’s name. A real deposit account is tied to your actual landlord — not a random personal account under a different name.
- Remember the legal cap. A German deposit can never legally exceed three months’ net cold rent (Nettokaltmiete) under § 551 BGB. Any request for more than that, framed as a “special case,” is itself a warning sign — see How Does a Rent Deposit (Mietkaution) Work in Germany? for the full legal rules.
If you think you’ve been scammed
Contact your bank immediately and ask them to recall the transfer — this only sometimes works, and mainly if the payment hasn’t been processed yet, but it’s worth trying regardless of the odds. File a police report (Anzeige) as soon as possible: it documents the crime, and you’ll typically need it for any later dispute with your bank or insurer. If the scammer used a specific rental platform, report the listing there too, so it gets taken down before it catches someone else.
Frequently asked questions
Can a landlord legally charge me a fee just to view an apartment?
No. Under § 4 of the Wohnungsvermittlungsgesetz (Residential Tenancy Brokerage Act), neither a landlord nor a current tenant can legally charge you money just to view an apartment. Any request for a "reservation fee" or "priority viewing deposit" before you've even seen the place is a red flag.
Is it normal for a landlord to ask for the deposit before I've seen the apartment in person?
No. A legitimate landlord has no reason to need your deposit before you've viewed the apartment, met them in a verifiable way, or signed a contract. Pressure to pay quickly, before viewing, is one of the clearest scam signals.
The photos and listing look professional — doesn't that mean it's real?
Not necessarily. Scammers routinely copy real photos and listing text from legitimate ads on platforms like ImmobilienScout24 or eBay Kleinanzeigen and repost them under a fake profile with a lower price. A reverse image search on the listing photos often reveals the original, legitimate ad.
What should I do if I already sent money to a scammer?
Contact your bank immediately to request a recall of the transfer — this sometimes works if the transfer hasn't been processed yet, but success isn't guaranteed. File a police report (Anzeige) regardless, both to document the crime and because it's often required for any later insurance or bank dispute claim.