Housing
3 min.
56 min ago
Foreigners seeking to secure accommodation before they arrive in the country are being targeted by online advertisements by fake landlords
Foreigners seeking to secure accommodation before they arrive in the country are being targeted by online advertisements by fake landlords
Photo credit: LW archive
By Andréa Oldereide and Frederik Wember
Rental fraud is becoming a regular occurrence in Luxembourg, the country’s consumer union has warned, with scammers particularly targeting foreigners who are seeking to secure accommodation online before arriving in the country.
People in urgent need of accommodation can find themselves rushing to take apartments advertised online at attractive prices, the ULC said, urged on by fake ‘landlords’ who tell the prospective tenant they must wire money immediately to avoid missing out on the property.
“Things like this are typical of scammers,” Pascal Koehnen of the ULC told Luxemburger Wort. “If you talk to these criminals, they will tell you that there are so many candidates interested, that you have to transfer the money quickly to ensure that you will get the accommodation,” Koehnen added.
“A real landlord will not necessarily want the money quickly, but will rather be interested in knowing if the person is trustworthy and solvent,” Koehnen said.
One such recent case involved a German man seeking a rental flatshare in the Grand Duchy’s capital. Listed by a woman called “Kim”, the apartment was supposedly located north-east of the city centre, and featured pictures displaying a private bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom, and living room.
“The description of the apartment was consistent with the photos,” the German man told Luxemburger Wort.
As the address was also given, the man was able to double check that shops and transport connections were nearby, as listed in the advertisement, raising no suspicions.
However, ‘Kim’ then insisted that the contract should be signed off quickly, and that a payment comprising a total of three months rent should be made. ‘Kim’ also requested a photo of his ID, as well as his current address, an unusual requirement for most properties.
Once the payment was made, a signed contract was returned to the man, but showed what appeared to be a different name.
After sending a friend who was living in Luxembourg over to check the address, the German man discovered that ‘Kim’ had never lived in the apartment, and that the flat had never been available for rent in the first place.
A demand for payment before a contract has been signed is “absolutely unusual”, according to the ULC’s Koehnen. “If possible, a visit of the premises should always be organised,” he said.
The ULC’s warning comes as demand for housing in Luxembourg continues to outstrip supply, and prices remain sky high.
The construction of an estimated 7,340 extra dwellings per year would be required to meet the growing demand in the country, a jump of “around 30% above the number of building permits recently issued”, according to a report published by the Luxembourg-based Fondation Idea in June.
Complaints about shoddy building work in Luxembourg are soaring, the ULC said in June, with many newly finished construction projects showing defects.
Real estate in Luxembourg almost doubled in value in the decade from 2010, the third highest increase in the EU in that period, with the International Monetary Fund warning in March that the Grand Duchy needs to take urgent action to cool the housing market.
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