Vienna Chamber of Labour warns of rising rental housing scams

The Chamber of Labour in Vienna (Arbeiterkammer Wien) has issued a warning regarding a rise in rental housing scams, particularly targeting young people seeking accommodation at the start of the academic year. Fraudsters frequently use fake advertisements featuring stolen photos, often sourced from platforms like Airbnb, and offer unusually low prices to attract victims.

In these schemes, scammers demand security deposits in advance but never follow through with apartment viewings or key handovers. Scammers often use various excuses to avoid physical meetings, such as claiming a landlord has passed away. Victims are frequently left without both a residence and their prepaid deposit.

To prevent fraud, housing rights expert Simone Brunnhauser recommends that prospective tenants cross-reference names on rental contracts with land registry records. Additionally, she suggests using visual search engines like Google Lens to verify the authenticity of advertisement photos. A reputable property management company is considered a positive sign, while offers that seem too good to be true should be treated with extreme caution.