Unfortunately, there are people who try to make quick money of homeless students. During the fall semester, you might come across fake ads in newspapers and on the web. If you advertise that you are looking for accommodation, you risk being contacted by unscrupulous suppliers. These people try to rent out apartments that do not exist or that they themselves do not have access to. But what do you do if you are in desperate need of an apartment and feel a little unsure whether the landlord who has just offered a contract is reputable?

Look at the apartment

This is important in order not to be cheated out of the deposit. If you can't look at the apartment yourself, can you ask a friend or relative to look at it for you? You or your friend will also be able to judge the person showing the apartment. Even if you might not have the possibility to come and look at it beforehand (or send a friend) do ask to come see it anyways to see how the landlord  reacts. If he or she comes up with a lot of excuses as to why it isn't possible, you should definetly pass on the offer.

Trust your gut instinct

Does the person showing you the apartment feel too strange or creepy? Then dare to turn down the apartment. There will be other offers.

Require to get everything in writing

The lease agreement should, of course, always be in writing. For help to get everything as it should be in the contract, you can download templates from our website. You are entitled to receive written invoices and payment receipts even if the landlord is a private person. Always watch out for landlords who refuse!

Contact the municipality, Hyresgästföreningen or KOMBO if you are unsure

Sometimes they have "black lists" of notorious landlords who have received many complaints, or who have even been convicted at the rent tribunal.

If you still hesitate, perform a credit check. You should not sign a contract with a landlord who feels suspicious, has received criticism from former tenants and who has large debts. Just remember that credit check is not secret – anyone subject to a credit check will receive a notification when the credit check is done.

 

Fake ads 

It can be difficult to find the right apartment in the housing jungle, and unfortunately there are some bad guys out there. The ads and offers might look very legitimate, even with pictures from inside the apartment, but do not be fooled! It can be tricky to see through a scam but there are some signs that you can look for.

The landlord tries to stress you into an agreement

Scammers usually use a technique where they try to stress you into taking an accommodation.  They might tell you that there are many people interested in the room/apartment but that you can get it if you answer quickly. They leave you with little to no room to consider the offer. As a newly admitted student worried about your housing situation it is very easy to fall for the sense of urgency they create. Please don't fall for this, remember that a serious landlord shouldn't be in such a hurry to rent out that they won't give you any time to consider the offer before accepting. Around the fall semester when there are a lot of new students looking for housing no serious landlord will have any trouble finding suitable tenants. Therefore, there is no reason for them being in such a hurry.

They don't ask for references or income

A serious landlord cares about who they rent out to, your capacity to pay the rent being the most basic one. They will therefore likely ask for some kind of proof that you have a steady income, like a job, student loans or a parent who can act as bondsman. A scammer, on the other hand, will be very keen on getting you to pay one deposit or first rent but don't care to make sure you will be able to pay the rent after this is done. A serious landlord might also want references on how you are as a tenant, though it is not a simportant as the rent issue.

Deposit

It's in the deposit, often to be paid before you get to see the apartment, that the advertiser earns their money. If the deposit is high in relation to the rent, or if they want several monthly rents as deposit, be suspicious. The same applies if the advertiser wants you to pay before you can see the apartment. A deal with a deposit is not necessarily a scam, but be sure to check the apartment before you pay!

The recipient of the deposit is not situated in Sweden

For most of the scams we encountered the deposit is to be paid to an account in some other country than Sweden, usually the UK. The scammer might for example claim that he or she has inherited an apartment in Sweden but lives in UK or that the deposit is to be paid to a parent, cousin or grandparent who lives abroad. Please be aware that for almost all legitimate offers the landlord is situated in Sweden and have a swedish bank account.

Deposit or rent to be paid through Western Union or Moneygram transfer

It's very common for scammers to request the deposit or first rent to be paid through Western Union or Moneygram transfer.

The landlord asks you to send a copy of your passport or ID

This does not necessarily mean you're being scammed but think through the situation carefully before you send copies of your identification documents. If it's a fraud, the scammer can then use your name and the copy of your passport/ID when contacting the next victim. At worst, you may also be subject to identity theft.

Different ads for different apartments, written by the same person, or by different people with the same contact details

Google the name, email address or phone number in the ad and words like "apartment" or "lägenhet" to see if the person is trying to let out apartments in other cities as well.

The ads might be written in both Swedish and English, but are often directed at an audience that may find it difficult to call their bluff. For example, exchange students with no experience of Swedish rental procedures or young students in cities with severe housing shortage, such as Stockholm and Gothenburg. But Linköping and Norrköping are by no means spared, so be careful.

If you suspect that an offer is a scam, or if you’re unsure if a potential landlord is legitimate, you're always welcome to contact us at KOMBO!

"The apartment is close to the university..."

While an ad saying this is not a guarantee that a scam is in the works, it is definately a reason to be vary. The reason is that there is not just one campus in Linköping which a scammer not familiar with Linköping might not know.

Scams and aliases

Websites and aliases involved in scamming students. Please, do not accept any offers from these websites or aliases. The accommodations they offer do not exist. Click on these links to see examples of scam contracts 1 and 2 and scam conversations. It is not unusual for scammers to use the name of actual people which they might have found in for example the phone book or passports from previous victims.

Webpages

studentroomseu.org

roomsdirectsweden.com

studentroomssweden.com

http://solutionsrental.com/

http://kombobostadkarservice.com/bostad.karservice.se/housing-applicants/beware/fake-ads/trustwebsites.html This is a fake website that claims to be KOMBO. Please do not trust the information you find here, our website will be found at bostad.karservice.se.

Alias

Sandra Antoinetta Schoenmakers

Olena Igorivna

Valery Zikrat

Anna Ladiilala

Ashabi Johnson

Lola Cici Adepoju

Christian Beller

Pedro Silva

Veronika Tofunmi

Clara Cambra

Marta Michalak

Alize Karacicek

Boll Patricia

Grobin Abdulrazaq

Turus Kinte Swain

Marianna Yarmolyych

Markus Stael von Holstein

Chris Wills

Selilea Lea

Selina Lea Maura

Khalid Ahmed Adams

Simone Renate

Daniel Johansson

Sabrina Timmermann

Katelyn Majorie Areington

Beatrice Achieng

Charlotte Noble

Charlotte Queen

Ela Broniv

August Broniv

Kevin Kemp

Felicia Klarke

Elina M. Hansson

Alice

Estelle Chollw

Hans Kling 

Helen Barrick

Jorge Santana

Julia Ibne

Julia I Pinto

Kristin Johansson

Lars Olsson

Thelen Jasmin Maria

Charlotte m. Ehrnborg

Katrin Wöhr

Boris Omidele

Beatrice Noble

Ullrich Lundgren

Kirill Romanenko

Maria Wozniak

Meier George Michael

Tereza Raymond

Mail

valery.zikrat94@outlook.com

margaretraquel76@gmail.com

johnsonashabi39@gmail.com

bellerchris556@gmail.com

clarabra05@gmail.com

michalakmarta29@gmail.com

karaciceka08@gmail.com

bollp9385@gmail.com

haielyloretto@gmail.com

dianamonacabrera@gmail.com

selinaleam@gmail.com

officialkhalidadams@gmail.com

hanssodan@hotmail.com

tiegssimone@gmail.com

officialkhalidadams@gmail.com

gooseinboots95@gmail.com

tsabrina625@gmail.com

majorkatelyn@gmail.com>

siraugustbroniv@gmail.com

feliciaclarke@outlook.com

alice.f12@hotmail.com

ella.barrick@aol.com

estellechollwestelle-c2014@outlook.com

helenbarrick46@gmail.com

hanskling50@outlook.com

jge483@aol.com

julia.ibn@aol.com

lars.olsson74@outlook.com

qcharlotte459@gmail.com

sjanina1996@gmail.com

tjmaria1997@gmail.com

aron.lisa1@yahoo.de

jgoldbt@gmail.com

wohrk1991@gmail.com

beatrice.achieng43g3@gmail.com

beatrice.achieng4893@gmail.com

lundgren355@gmail.com

cuza706nco@gmail.com

verna77Robinson@gmail.com

oliver.karlsson02@outlook.com

gmmpeace39@gmail.com