Scammers are exploiting the rental market by posting genuine images of real properties, but the catch is that the prices are often suspiciously low. These tactics are drawing in unsuspecting victims, creating a treacherous landscape for those seeking a place to live.

With the increasing difficulty of finding a rental property, the Western Australia Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Trish Blake, has pointed out that the current circumstances have become an ideal environment for scammers to thrive.

“These scammers invest significant effort in grooming their targets,” Blake explained. “They portray themselves as champions for the underdog, convincing you that you’re the perfect candidate because they believe you’re a hardworking, deserving person, and they want to assist you.”

Communication from scammers reveals their strategy of capitalizing on the intense competition in the rental market. In one such message, a scammer preys on this desperation, saying, “Due to the large number of people making offers for the apartment and which I cannot attend to all, my lawyer mandated a commitment fee to secure the apartment and filter out many people to secure it down for one person.”

Messages show how the scammers take advantage of the high demand for rentals.

“Due to the large number of people making offers for the apartment and which I can not attend to all.. my lawyer mandated a commitment fee to secure the apartment and filter out many people to secure it down for one person,” one message reads.

“You can have the space secured ahead of your move in date by paying a security deposit of the first week rent of $400.

“The deposit act more like a commitment fee which is fully refundable if upon physical visit you have a change of mind and it will be added to your first week rent if everything goes as planned.

“The deposit secure down the apartment for you and it will be reserved exclusively only for you.. I will stop taking offers for it and remove it from the Market.”

Blake warned renters not to hand over any money before they’d seen the property.

In 2025, at least 20 people reported a rental scam, losing $50,000, an increase of 27 per cent compared to the year before.

Median rental prices in Perth are at record highs. 

It costs $700 per week for a house and $670 to rent a unit while properties are snatched up in just 16 days. 

“People have pure desperation and people will do what they can for their family and think they’re doing the right thing and potentially dealing with unsavoury characters,” Real Estate Institute of Western Australia member Rob Mandanici said.

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