RENTAL scams are up this year by almost one quarter, according to Limerick Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Michelle O’Halloran, and losses in Limerick already this year are closing up on half a million euros.
“Every year, we see a significant spike in reports of rental fraud from August through to October. That’s the period when students — particularly those just starting college — are under pressure to find somewhere to live quickly,” Sergeant O’Halloran said.
“Fraudsters know this and take advantage. In fact, about one third of all rental fraud reports occur during this back-to-college window. Already this year, in the first six months of 2025, reports are up 22 per cent compared to the same period last year, with losses totalling to €385,000, compared with €617,000 for the full year of 2024”.
The Irish Property Owners Association (IPOA) is in agreement predicting that, amid incoming changes to rental regulations, the supply of available rentals to meet growing student demand will be an even larger issue this year.
“Such a scenario opens the student rental market to unscrupulous actors who seek to defraud young students and their families of deposits,” an IPOA spokeswoman said.
Both the IPOA and the Gardaà have advice for anxious renters.
“In some cases, the fraudster claims to be out of the country and say they can’t show you the property unless you pay a deposit first. In others, they’ll actually show the property to several different people, collect deposits from each, and then vanish,” Sergeant O’Halloran said.
“We also see cases where the property doesn’t exist at all, or it exists but is already occupied — and when the renter turns up, the keys don’t work and the so-called landlord has disappeared.”
Sergeant O’Halloran outlined some of the “red flags” to look out for, saying that “if the rent seems too good, be extremely cautious— especially in cities where demand is high”.
“If the ad only appears on social media, or if the person insists on communicating only through WhatsApp or Messenger, that’s suspicious.
“Spelling mistakes in the ad, vague details, or very few photos should also ring alarm bells. And most importantly, if you’re asked to pay by cash, cryptocurrency, Revolut, or to send money abroad, that’s a huge red flag.”
Sergeant O’Halloran advised homeseekers to “only use recognised letting agencies or landlords recommended through official college channels or student unions”.
“Always view the property in person before paying anything. Check that it’s registered with the Residential Tenancies Board — you can do that online. Compare the asking rent with the RTB rent index to see if it matches average prices in the area.
“Ask for the exact address and check it on Google Maps, and even do a reverse image search of the posted image to see if they appear anywhere else on the internet”.
She said that paying with a credit card is the safest option as these payments can be frozen if something goes wrong.
She advises those who suspect a scam to “report it straight away to your local Garda station and contact your bank immediately to try and recall the payment”.
“The faster you act, the better the chance of minimising the damage and helping us track these criminals”.
