Fake Rental Listings Scam

Scammers post fake rental properties at attractive prices on Daft.ie, Facebook Marketplace, and Telegram groups. They pressure interested renters into paying a deposit before viewing. Victims often find out too late that the property doesn't exist, was never available for rent, or belongs to someone unaware their property is being used in a scam. An Garda Síochána issued a warning about accommodation fraud on 25 August 2026, ahead of the CAO offers, and set out three forms it takes. The absent landlord: the scammer claims to be out of the country and demands an upfront deposit before keys or physical access can be provided. The fake host or mass showing: the fraudster poses as an occupant or a fake agent, shows the property to several prospective tenants, collects a deposit from all of them and disappears. The key failure: everything looks legitimate until the tenant arrives with their belongings and the keys do not work, the property is already occupied, or the landlord has vanished. That warning records over 230 reports of rental and reservations scams, with total reported losses standing above €400,000 up to 31 July 2026.

• •Students looking for accommodation
• •First-year students holding a CAO offer — An Garda Síochána issued its warning of 25 August 2026 ahead of the CAO offers, describing a "seasonal peak – historically August and October - as returning and first-time students scramble to find housing"
• •People relocating to a new city
• •Those on tight budgets attracted by low prices
• •International students or workers unfamiliar with Irish rental norms

• •Ireland's housing crisis creates desperate renters
• •Attractive prices in a competitive market
• •Pressure tactics ("other people are interested")
• •Professional-looking listings with stolen photos
• •Requests for deposits seem normal in rentals
• •A term start date is a deadline the renter cannot move, and the Gardaí describe the seasonal peak in August and October as the point where students are all searching at once
• •In the mass showing, other people really are viewing the property, so the competition the renter can see is genuine even though the letting is not