How to Avoid Scams in Online Rentals of Your Tourist Accommodation

It is very common that, if you have more than one property, you rent one of your flats as tourist accommodation during periods of high demand, as it is a secure, stable, and relatively easy-to-manage source of income. However, it is likely that, at some point, you will encounter someone who wants to carry out an online rental scam through various very common methods. Therefore, you must be aware of them and exercise great caution to avoid major problems.

Most Frequent Scams When Renting Your Flat as Tourist Accommodation

It is common to hear stories about guests destroying or stealing furniture, but today we are going to discuss something different: scams that will try to get money out of you at all costs, looking at the most frequent scams when renting a flat.

Phishing

This is one of the most common scams, and it involves the theft of information to impersonate you and pose as you, in order to steal money from your guests. Normally, these types of scammers will attack your account directly, stealing your password and contacting your tenants directly, and they will contact them to provide a different account number for booking transfers.

“Fake Guest” Scam

In this scam, the fraudster initiates the booking request process when, in reality, they are not going to stay at the property, causing you to lose money for the specific period they have booked. To do this, they use fake cheques or send you screenshots of a fake transfer, which will ultimately not arrive. There are several factors to consider to avoid this scam:

• Avoid bookings with strange emails and poorly worded messages.
• Review all reservations where a third party is given a free stay, or it is done at the last minute.
• Beware of those who offer extra and irrelevant information without being asked, and who want to pay you more than you are asking for the flat.
• Check that their messages about the characteristics of your flat match them, and mass emails are common to scam many owners.

Identity Theft

Unlike phishing, where they pose as you, it is also possible for fraudsters to pose as a former tenant, claiming something that happened a long time ago and asking for money. To resolve this flat rental fraud, simply check the details of the old reservation and make sure the person contacting you is the same.

Blackmail Through Online Platforms

In recent years, it has also become common to see tenants threatening owners with negative reviews (on TripAdvisor, for example) if they don't give them a discount or pay them an amount they demand at the last minute. Furthermore, if you work with Airbnb, they often disable the Wi-Fi in your flat and request compensation from the platform, something that directly affects you.

How You Can Avoid Scams and Fraud When Renting Your Tourist Accommodation

Avoiding these aforementioned scams is vital to prevent major problems and maintain the reputation of your tourist accommodation, which is very important when it comes to attracting new tenants. To do this, you must pay attention to the following factors:

• If possible, have your own website, hard-to-hack passwords, and take care of the devices used to access the owner's account.
• Thoroughly investigate each tenant interested in staying in your flat.
• Do not agree with tenants who promise payments by cheque or transfers that take time; instead, close reservations once the money has arrived.
• Provide the tenant with several contact methods to prevent possible identity impersonation.

Given the opportunities that exist in the online world, many people are able to carry out this type of online rental scam, so you must exercise special caution, dedicate time to researching tenants, and secure reservations to avoid fraud. If you need to install a lock for your tourist flat, at Raixer we offer that service, guaranteeing the security of your home at all times.

Recommended reading: 20 warning signs of vacation rental scams