Warning issued over scam involving fake tenancy agreements with Department of Housing

The Department of Housing has warned renters about false property listings using department logos and email addresses.

It said it has become aware of “a number of false rental property listings” which, when an individual applies to, involves the person being asked to complete a rental application form/residential tenancy agreement with what “purports to contain a Departmental letterhead and logo, and a fake gov.ie email address”.

The individual is asked to provide personal information for registration as well as a deposit and the first month’s rent to “hold” the property.

“The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage wishes to point out that it does not require or engage with registrations for private rental properties and therefore does not ask members of the public to provide personal information as requested in these advertisements,” the department said in a statement on Wednesday.

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“This ‘Rental Application’ form/Residential Tenancy Agreement purporting to be issued with a Department/Gov.ie logo and a gov.ie email address is fraudulent and we strongly advise prospective renters that it should not be completed.

“If an individual responds to a private rental advertisement and receives forms purporting to be from the Department of Housing in return, they should not engage further with the vendor.”

Anyone who believes they have mistakenly provided personal information or paid a deposit in response to these types of fraudulent advertisements and false rental applications/tenancy agreements calls are advised to “immediately alert” An Garda Síochána.