Finding safe student housing — and avoiding scams
Rental fraud is one of the most common scams targeting international students, precisely because you're searching for a home from thousands of miles away, under time pressure, before you've even landed. This guide exists so you don't lose money before your journey even starts.
How to search safely
Your university's housing office first
Every country page on this site links to that country's official student housing bodies and platforms. This is always the safest starting point — your university has already vetted these options.
Insist on a live video viewing
If you can't view in person, ask for a live video call where you direct the viewing yourself — ask them to show the door lock, the view from the window, the meter readings. Scammers can't do this with a property they don't control.
Pay through traceable, reversible methods
A bank transfer to a verified business/landlord account, or payment through a recognised platform's own payment system, gives you far more recourse than a wire transfer or gift card ever will.
Get everything in writing
A real tenancy agreement, in writing, with the landlord's full legal name and ID — before any payment. No contract is itself a red flag.
Warning signs of a rental scam
Rent that's suspiciously cheap
If the price is well below every comparable listing nearby, treat it as a warning, not a bargain — scammers use unrealistically low rent to attract urgent replies.
Any request to pay before viewing
A real landlord or agent lets you view the property (in person, or via a live video call where you can ask the person to walk around and show details) before any money changes hands.
Wire transfers, gift cards, or crypto
These payment methods are very hard to reverse and are never how legitimate landlords or agents ask to be paid. A real landlord accepts a bank transfer to a verified business account, or payment through a recognised platform.
They "can't" show you the property
Common excuses: "I'm out of the country," "it's being renovated," "my agent has the only key." Real landlords or their agents can always arrange a viewing or a live video walkthrough.
Approval with zero verification
If you're "approved" instantly with no ID check, no reference request, and no real application — that's backwards. Legitimate landlords check who they're renting to.
Pressure to act immediately
"Three other people are looking at it today" is a classic urgency tactic to stop you from thinking it through or verifying anything.
Poor-quality or generic photos
Stock photos, or only 1-2 low-quality images, can mean the listing was copied from somewhere else — reverse-image-search a suspicious photo if you can.
What to do
Stop the conversation and verify independently — search the landlord's name and the property address together with the word "scam," call the university housing office to ask if they recognise the listing, and never let urgency override your own judgement. If you've already sent money, report it immediately to your bank, the platform the listing was on, and your university's international student office — the faster you act, the better the chance of recovering funds.
Where to actually search
Every country page on AfriMigrate links to the housing platforms and student housing bodies that are genuinely trusted for that country — find yours below.
Canada
Rentals.ca, PadMapper, your university's off-campus housing office.
UK
SpareRoom, Rightmove/Zoopla verified agents, your students' union housing advice service.
Australia
Flatmates.com.au, realestate.com.au, your university's accommodation service.
Netherlands
DUWO/SSH student housing corporations, Kamernet (verify carefully), Pararius.
Belgium
Your university's kot service, Immoweb, Kotplanet.
United States
Your university's housing office, StreetEasy (NYC), Zillow.