Protect yourself against housing fraud

As a student, you may be in urgent need of housing, which in turn means that you are in a vulnerable situation. Then it is easy to become careless and fraudsters take advantage of that. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Read more about how to protect yourself against housing fraud.

Housing fraud is increasing in society and we therefore want to clarify a couple of questions about our rental:

SGS only rents out tenancies to students. There is therefore no interest in SGS to convert tenancies into condominiums. If you have been offered this, it is most likely an attempt at fraud. Never pay for a first-hand contract. Contracts for tenancies are illegal to sell and buy and can lead to imprisonment.

We have also noticed that SGS homes are advertised on social media for subletting, where the subletting tenant must directly pay the rent to the advertiser. When moving in, there is no home at the specified address which has been  falsely made up in in one of our existing areas. This is absolutely unlegaly! You have the right to sublet your home if there are acceptable reasons, such as rental has to do with your studies. The agreement for subbletting must always be approved by SGS Customer Service. Read more about SGS rules for subletting here.

Police tips to avoid being scammed

1. Form a picture of the situation, not the person.
   
   
2. Check with the property owner that the person is the occupier of the flat and have permission for subletting.
   
   
3. Require identification of the landlord and a tenancy agreement.
   
   
4. Never pay deposit or rent in advance before you have visited the accommodation and a contract is signed.
   
   
5. Be wary if the landlord is abroad or can not meet you.
   
   
6. Do not pay money via anonymous payment services.
   
   
7. Bring a friend or family member when you visit the accommodation. Four eyes can easier see through a fraud. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it is usually so.
   
   
8. If you have been the victim of a fraud, it is important that you report this to the police.

On the Police's website, you can get additional information

The Police also informs on Facebook, search for Police Fraud!

The Police office: 114 14