REIWA is warning prospective tenants to be cautious after a suspected rental scam used a legitimate property listing to target a renter looking for a home.
In this case, a prospective tenant attended a home open and told the property manager she believed she may have been scammed after using a third-party rental search platform.
The tenant had been contacted by someone claiming to be the owner of the property. The person had sent her the agency's advertisement, photos and property details, and claimed the rent had been reduced from $1,290 to $800 per week.
The tenant was also told not to speak to anyone at the home open about the reduced rent.
The person then sent the tenant a Form 18 – Application to rent residential premises and asked her to return it directly to them. While no money was lost in this instance, these types of scams often involve attempts to obtain personal information, bond payments or rent in advance.
The report is a reminder that scammers can use genuine listing information and photos to make their approach look legitimate.
Rental scams remain an issue in WA. According to the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety, $51,875 was fraudulently obtained from 20 victims in 2025. Scammers commonly pose as private landlords, advertise properties at below-market rents and use stolen photos of real homes.
Warning signs
- Most properties in WA are managed by property managers, they will not contact you through or advertise on platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or WhatsApp. Be very wary of responding to ads on these platforms or people who contact you via these platforms.
- Be cautious of rental listings that have extremely low prices. Scammers often lure people in with prices that are too good to be true. Do some research on reiwa.com to see what properties in that area are being advertised for.
- If the 'landlord' says they can't show you the property because they are away, interstate or overseas, it is probably a scam. Suggesting you do a drive-by of the property is another common trick.
- Be wary of someone trying to push or rush you to make a decision and send funds to 'make sure you don't miss out of the property'.
How to protect yourself against rental scams
- Use a legitimate real estate site such as reiwa.com.
- Only deal with property managers or landlords you meet face to face.
- Check the address: if you see a property on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, or have been contacted, google the address or look it up on reiwa.com to see if it is actually being advertised. You will probably find it is not. If it is available, contact the property manager directly. An owner pays them to find a tenant, they will not advertise it themselves.
- Similarly do a reverse google search of the photos. Scammers usually take photos from properties they find on the internet.
- Do not send a deposit to secure your chances of getting a property. Agents will not ask for this.
- Do not send bond or rent until your rental application has been confirmed by the property manager, and you have a copy of the lease agreement.
- Never send personal information, such as driver's license, passport details or bank details direct to an alleged 'landlord'.
- Always inspect the property yourself, or if you can't, have someone else inspect it for you.
- To avoid payment redirection scams, always call the property manager if you have been accepted for a rental but get an email with new payment details.
- Be cautious when communicating with potential landlords or property managers via email. Scammers often use email to impersonate legitimate landlords or property managers.
Scams can be reported to WA ScamNet at scamnet.wa.gov.au or on 1300 304 054, and to Scamwatch.
If you have any questions, contact REIWA's Information Services line on 9380 8200 or [email protected], Monday to Friday, during business hours.
