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How to spot and avoid rental scams
Newcomers searching from overseas are common targets. The warning signs, and how to check a landlord is real before you send money.
- Last checked
- 21 Oct 2026
- Next review
- 21 Apr 2027
NZ Police have warned about scammers posing as landlords or agents, sending fake ID documents and asking people overseas to sign false tenancy agreements and transfer money, sometimes followed by extra “reservation” payments.
Before you pay
- Never transfer money to a person or organisation you can’t verify as legitimate.
- A genuine landlord or agency usually has a website and a physical address, and you should be able to speak to more than one person there.
- Ask a friend or family member in New Zealand to view the property for you.
- Be especially wary of requests to pay through money wiring services.
Who to contact
- If you think you’re being targeted, stop contact and tell NZ Police.
- Report scams to Netsafe.
- If you’ve already sent money, contact your bank straight away.
How Future Lane can help
If you’re arranging accommodation before you arrive, we can help you think through options and questions to ask. We don’t take payments on behalf of landlords.