The private rental market is a difficult place to navigate – whether you are a domestic student or from abroad. During your time at university, you may have to move multiple times. This guide provides some key tips and indicators to ensure that the property you decide to move into is not a scam, or completely non-existent!

Letting agents

Using a letting agent is a good way to rent as they check and verify the properties they advertise. They also provide another reference point for support if you experience any issues.

To check that the letting agent is legitimate, check if they are members of the following professional bodies:

The professional body for the property sector | Propertymark

UK Association of Letting Agents – UKALA

Welcome to RICS

This means they have to follow specific rules and standards of working.

Reverse image checks

If you are using a property search website like Spareroom or Zoopla, then make sure the pictures reflect a real property by conducting a reverse image check. This can reveal whether the photos have been used elsewhere, and where they have been used. This applies to Facebook Group property searches as well!

TinEye – Reverse Image Search and Recognition

Checking the landlord is real and registered

Renting directly from Landlords can be a good option, as costs might be less than properties found through letting agents, and you can speak to property owners directly.

Registers of Scotland is a website that lists all of the Landlords in Scotland – use this to verify the person who claims to be the landlord of a property.

Registers of Scotland – Scotland’s land and property registers

After figuring out whether the landlord is connected to the property, you should ensure they are registered as a landlord using the Scottish Landlord Register.

Search the Scottish landlord register – Scottish Landlord Register

Viewing the property

Always insist on viewing the property in person, if you can. If you cannot, the second best option is getting a friend or family member in the area to view it for you. Failing that, a virtual viewing can be requested – but make sure they video call you for it, rather than just sending you a video.

Paying a deposit

In Scotland, deposits for rental flats must be held in a tenancy deposit scheme, such as Safe Deposits Scotland (the market leader and an approved provider by the Scottish Government).

Check where your landlord has asked you to pay the deposit – are they using one of the three Scottish Government approved providers?

List of approved tenant deposit schemes:

When you must protect a tenancy deposit – mygov.scot

In Scotland, deposits can be up to two months’ rent only. ‘Non refundable holding deposit’ or ‘key money’ are illegal fees that you should not and are not required to pay. These are good red flags to spot a dodgy housing provider.

Paying rent in advance

This usually only happens when you cannot provide a guarantor for the property (a guarantor is someone who signs your contract, promising to pay rent in case you fail to, or pay for damage to the property). Your landlord must tell you what period of time you are paying rent for, and this cannot be more than six months’ rent in advance. If you pay rent in cash, they must give you a receipt.

Alongside the above advice, making sure that landlords are following the rules on this stringently can help ensure you do not pay a large sum for a property that is not real.

I hope that these tips are useful as you begin searching for a flat – a simple rule of thumb is to be cautious and vigilant about any places you see – take your time to know as much as possible about the flat before agreeing to anything.

Good luck with your flat search!

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