12/08/2022
Scam Alert! Tips to avoid it!
Unfortunately, the world of student room rentals has become a jungle! In the face of thousands of requests, the rooms available are very few and professional operators (or serious owners) can be counted on one hand!
Of course, this situation creates fertile ground for the crafty and malicious! The phenomenon of online scamming is gaining momentum, and every day we help (for free) dozens of young people to understand if the proposed lease, and the conditions contained therein, have the characteristics of a scam!
So, here are some unmistakable signs to understand if your “future owner” is serious, or if he is a sly who is trying to cheat you.
1. The owner is a foreigner. Beware of foreign owners. In Padua, in 99% of cases, those who rent houses are Italian, or rather, from Padua!
2. The owner tells you that he is not in town at the moment, and therefore cannot meet you or send you videos or photos of the room (but that he will be back soon if you decide to rent the room!) This explanation makes no sense … .After all, why should he do this?
3. The owner sends you draft contracts in English. Remember, we are in Italy, and the contract must necessarily be in Italian! So, if they send you a contract in English (sure, it could be a translation to help you understand the content of the contract), always ask for the Italian version!
4. The owner sends you a generic contract, without the cadastral data of the property. Remember that each lease must contain specific property data, not just the address. The cadastral data have this more or less this form: NCEU Padova, Foglio 31, Sub. 39, cat A/2, Vani 3, rendita catastale €. 3,256
5. The owner sends you a contract on a pre-signed pdf form, with a non-authentic digital signature.
6. Your landlord refuses or is unaware that he has to register the contract. Remember, any lease exceeding 30 days must by law be registered with the Revenue Agency. The registration process has a variable cost (between € 80 and € 130 per year), and can be carried out electronically through the online channels of the Revenue Agency, or by going personally to their offices.
7. If you are a non-EU student, your landlord refuses or is unaware of the fact that he must necessarily send the “declaration of hospitality”, accompanied by the contract, and its registration at the Revenue Agency, from your and his identity document. The declaration of hospitality is a fundamental document for you to obtain a residence permit.
8. The owner refuses to make a video call
9. The owner does not send you photos of the house, or the photos of the house are screenshots (often taken from sites such as airbnb or immobiliare.it)
10. The owner refuses to put you in contact with the tenants currently present inside the house, saying that the house is currently empty.
11. The price of the room is lower than the average of the other rooms on the rental market.
If one or more of the listed features are present, turn on the red light! It is probably a scam!
If you have any doubts, we at Bedstudent can help you for free! Send us your contract or tell us what is happening to you by sending us a whatsapp at +39 391 754 42 91! We will check for you!
