Safety Guide

The vast majority of people using nzflatmates are good, honest people using the service as intended. However, like all things in life, it pays to keep yourself safe from the small minority with dishonest intentions.

The Golden Rule

Always view a flat in person before paying any money for rent or bond. Never pay any money for a flat that you've never seen.

How to spot a suspicious flat profile...

Advertiser claims to be overseas

Look out for advertisers who claim to be overseas on holiday or business and who require that you pay a deposit to secure the flat before you've had a chance to view it in person.

Example
"I recently moved to Egypt alongside my family to start a tourism business there and also expand my equipment line of business there, that's why the apartment is going out for rent, you can find coffee shops and restaurants, beauty shop, home made take away food, grocery, market, banks, pharmacy dry cleaning and post office around my property"

Example
"Right about now, i am here in our new house in London, England and also with the Keys/Documents of the house. We tried looking for an agent that we can give hand over the Document to before we left but could not see any one who we could trust and we don't want our home to be used any how by anyone and for this reason we took it along to England."

Advertiser requires payment to a foreign account, or via Western Union

Beware of advertisers who ask for payment via Western Union or payment into a non-New Zealand bank account. Payments into money transfer services such as Western Union are difficult to reverse and accounts are easily setup using a fake ID card. When making payments for rent or bond, it's recommended that you pay into a New Zealand bank account by direct deposit using internet banking.

Example
"Once you have agreed to section 15 of this application,payment would be made via Western Union Transfer and then i send you the keys and document on a next day delivery,are you ok with this as signed ?????"

Price is "too good to be true"

Be wary of flats or apartments that are advertised well below the current market rent. If a flat looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Example
"Flat for rent in Auckland CBD, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, $125 per week."

How to spot a suspicious flatmate profile...

Flatmate asks for a refund

Never give refunds for overpayments to potential flatmates you've never met. Be especially wary of flatmates who claim to have "accidentally" overpaid bond or rent, or who ask you to receive additional funds on their behalf because they do not have a New Zealand bank account. Never issue refunds to non-NZ bank accounts such as Western Union or MoneyGram.

Example
"I would need you do me one last favour Roseanne and I would appreciate if you can help me out with this. My Dad whom would be making payment is to send me $1600 for my travel ticket, but at the moment I do not have an account to receive the money and my dad can only transfer money from his account because he is presently on a business trip out of town.

Example
"I was wondering if i can have him transfer $2500 into your account, while you deduct $780 as deposit to secure my room and help me send the balance to my travel agent via money gram .I would really appreciate if you can help me on this."

If you see anything suspicious...

If you spot anything fishy, or if you receive a suspicious message, please report it by clicking the Report this listing link at the bottom of the listing page (or contact us) immediately so that we can start an investigation.

Was this helpful?