Vienna Chamber of Labour warns of fake rental listings

The Vienna Chamber of Labour is warning of rental scams targeting people searching for homes, ORF Wien reports. Young people looking for accommodation at the start of the academic year are particularly vulnerable to fake listings offering low rents and misleading photos.

Many trainees begin their apprenticeships in September, while the winter semester starts in October, leading to increased demand for housing in late summer. The Chamber of Labour says it records a rise in fraud cases every August.

In many cases, scammers use photos taken from Airbnb listings, according to Simone Brunnhauser, a housing law adviser at the Vienna Chamber of Labour. Victims are asked to pay a deposit in advance, but no keys are ever handed over.

The supposed landlords typically give excuses for why the property cannot be viewed or why the keys cannot be transferred. In the most recent case, the scammers claimed that the landlady had died, making the handover impossible. The prospective tenants ended up with neither a flat nor their deposit.

The Chamber of Labour advises prospective tenants to verify listings carefully. They should compare the names in the land register and the rental agreement, while listing photos can be checked using visual search tools such as Google Lens. A reputable property management company is another positive sign.

People who have doubts can seek advice from the Vienna Chamber of Labour housing law hotline. The organisation also advises using common sense: if an offer seems too good to be true, it often is.