Renting a room safely means taking care of several simple but easy-to-overlook steps: verifying the landlord, never paying an advance before viewing the property and having everything in writing. Scammers are particularly likely to target students looking for accommodation remotely just before the academic year begins – time pressure and lack of familiarity with the local market make their job easier. This guide shows you how to recognize a scam, how to avoid the most common traps and how to protect yourself step by step when renting an apartment or an individual room, so you know exactly how much the fee is and what you are actually paying for.
Key takeaways
- Never pay an advance or security deposit before you have viewed the room in person or through a trusted person on site.
- Check whether the listing uses photos stolen from Airbnb or Booking.com – a Google image search will take you less than a minute.
- An occasional lease requires a notarized declaration by the tenant and notification to the tax office within 14 days of the start of the tenancy.
- A handover report with meter readings at the time the keys are handed over is your main protection when settling the security deposit.
How to recognize a room rental scam?
A rental scam can most often be recognized by time pressure, a price clearly below the market rate and the inability to view the property in person. According to the police, these three warning signs appear in almost every reported case.
The most common scam methods
The most common scheme is the so-called “fake landlord” method: a scammer publishes an attractive, inexpensive listing using photos of an apartment to which they have no legal rights, and then demands an advance payment or security deposit before the victim sees the property in person. Once the money reaches the account, communication stops. The most common victims are students and foreigners who know the local market less well and cannot easily travel to view the room in person.
Red flags in a listing
Be cautious when: the price is clearly lower than similar offers in the area, the landlord claims to be “abroad” and cannot show the property in person or appoint anyone to do so on their behalf, someone pressures you to make a quick transfer before you see anything, or the seller’s account on the listing website was created very recently.
Verifying the landlord and property before signing the agreement
The easiest way to verify a landlord is to ask for a document confirming their legal right to the property and compare the listing photos with image-search results.
How to verify that the person offering the room is the owner
Paste the listing photos into Google Image Search – if the same photographs appear on Airbnb or Booking.com, this is a sign that they may have been stolen and that the offer may not be genuine. If you cannot view the room in person, also ask for a video call with a live tour of the interior – a genuine landlord usually has no problem with this.
Documents worth asking for
Ask for a document confirming ownership or the right to dispose of the property – this may be a deed of ownership, an extract from the land and mortgage register or a certificate from the housing cooperative. If the person renting the room refuses to show such a document or avoids signing a standard lease agreement, it is better to look for another offer. Verification is easier when you use offers that have already been checked, for example on the rooms for rent by Warsaw district page, where the legal status of each property is confirmed before the listing is published.
Advance payment and bank transfer – how to safely rent an apartment?
An advance payment should only be made after viewing the room and agreeing all terms in writing – never before, regardless of how convincing the listing may seem.
When not to pay before viewing the room
Do not transfer any money – whether an advance payment, a security deposit or the first month’s rent – before you have seen the property in person or through a trusted person on site. This rule has no exceptions, even if the landlord claims the offer “will be gone any minute.”
A safe way to make the advance payment
Once you have agreed the terms, ask for written confirmation of the room reservation and make the payment only by bank transfer to the account of a verified person or company – never to the private account of a third party or using methods that are difficult to document. Keep proof of the transfer and all arrangements made in messages – in the event of a dispute, this will be your primary evidence.
Nearby expert tip: At Nearby, every room reservation is confirmed in writing and payment is made to a company account, never to the private bank account of an agent or landlord – this is one of the basic features that can help you distinguish a safe rental from a suspicious offer.
Lease agreement and occasional lease – can it protect you?
Signing a written lease agreement is a basic safeguard for both the tenant and the landlord – in practice, a verbal agreement provides no real protection.
What the agreement should contain
The agreement should clearly specify: the amount of rent and how utilities are settled, the amount of the security deposit and the conditions for its return, the rental period and notice period, as well as an exact description of the room’s furnishings. Before signing the document, read it in full and ask about every unclear provision – a good landlord will be happy to answer and allow you to take a copy of the agreement home for careful review instead of pressuring you to sign immediately.
Occasional lease and notarial deed
An occasional lease is a special form of tenancy agreement increasingly used by property owners in Poland – the agreement itself must be in writing and must be accompanied by a notarized declaration in which the tenant submits to enforcement. The landlord is required to report such an agreement to the head of the tax office within 14 days from the date the tenancy actually begins.
If you rent a room under an occasional lease, this is a normal and fully legal practice – it should not be a cause for concern provided all documents have been prepared correctly and you have a copy of the signed agreement. Offers with the form of agreement clearly described can also be found among rooms for students near Warsaw universities.
Handover report and key handover
A handover report prepared when the keys are handed over is a document that protects you against unjustified deductions from your security deposit at the end of the tenancy.
How to prepare the report
The report should contain an exact description of the condition of the room and its furnishings on the day the keys are handed over – ideally together with photographs of every room, including common areas. When preparing the report, both parties should have time to calmly go through all items of equipment without the rush typical of the viewing itself.
Meter readings at handover
Record the current electricity, water and gas meter readings in the report if these utilities are settled individually – this is the basis for correct utility settlement both at the beginning and at the end of the tenancy. Without recorded meter readings, it is difficult to prove how much you actually used and how much consumption belonged to the previous tenant.
Nearby expert tip: We always encourage tenants to photograph the meters with their phone immediately after receiving the keys, with the date visible – this is a simple habit that we include as standard in our Nearby handover report and one that prevents many misunderstandings when settling utilities.
Summary
Safe room rental comes down to a few simple rules: verify the landlord, never pay before viewing the property, put everything in writing and make sure there is a handover report with meter readings when you receive the keys. These few habits protect you both from scammers and from misunderstandings with an honest landlord.
Are you looking for a room where the reservation, agreement and handover report are clear from the first contact? Contact the Nearby team – we will guide you through the entire rental process step by step.
FAQ – safe room rental
How can I check whether a room rental listing is a scam?
Check the photos using Google Image Search, compare the price with similar offers in the area and never pay before viewing the room in person or via a live video call.
Do I have to pay an advance to reserve a room?
An advance payment is standard practice when making a reservation, but it should always be preceded by viewing the property and receiving written confirmation of the rental terms, and the transfer should be made to a verified account.
Is an occasional lease safe for a tenant?
Yes, it is a legal and increasingly common form of agreement, provided that all required documents – including the tenant’s notarized declaration – are prepared correctly and you have a copy of the signed agreement.
Sources
- Interia.pl – Threat to people renting apartments. Watch out for “red flags,” September 2023.
https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/tylko-w-interii/news-przekrety-na-wynajmie-mieszkan-oszusci-kradna-tozsamosc,nId,7004652 - ChronPESEL.pl – Rental scams – how to avoid them?
https://chronpesel.pl/wyludzenia-i-kradzieze/oszustwa-przy-wynajmie-mieszkan-jak-ich-uniknac - Akademiki.pl – Room rental scams – how not to get caught out, April 2026.
https://akademiki.pl/blog/oszustwa-wynajem-pokoju-student/ - PIT.pl – Occasional lease and tax office formalities, August 2025.
https://www.pit.pl/podatek-dochodowy/najem-okazjonalny-a-formalnosci-w-urzedzie-skarbowym-1005585 - Fakturownia.pl – Occasional lease – tax office notification step by step, August 2026.
https://fakturownia.pl/article/czym-jest-najem-okazjonalny-i-jak-zglosic-go-do-urzedow-skarbowych - Otodom.pl, via: Rental Market Foundation and ThinkCo – Preparing an apartment for rent – tips for landlords and future tenants.
https://www.otodom.pl/wiadomosci/wynajmuje/krok-po-kroku-wynajmuje/poradnik-otodom-x-fundacja-rynku-najmu-przygotowanie-mieszkania-na-wynajem-wskazowki-dla-wynajmujacych-i-przyszlych-najemcow
