Deposit Payment Playbook

Use this in the 24 hours between “I want it” and “I paid.” That window is where nearly every rental scam succeeds. Nothing here is legal advice — it’s the practical playbook we wish every renter had. Print this page and keep it.

Before any money moves — the five checks

• See it, or walk. An in-person viewing, or at minimum a live video call where the person walks the actual apartment and does something you ask on the spot (open the window, show the meter cupboard, show the street). A pre-recorded video proves nothing.
• Confirm who owns it. The name taking your deposit should match the deed (or be a verifiable manager for the owner — normal for managed housing). That’s exactly what our owner-confirm checks against the Kadaster. Owner ≠ contact is not automatically a scam; an owner who can’t be confirmed at all before payment is.
• Registration or refusal. You must be able to register at the address (BRP). “No registration possible” is both a scam marker and, for a real room, a problem that follows you for years.
• Contract before cash. A signed rental contract with the landlord’s full name, the address, the rent, and the deposit amount — before any payment. No contract, no money.
• Deposit ≤ 2 months’ bare rent. Dutch law (Wet goede verhuurderschap) caps the deposit at two months. Three months, “key money,” or mandatory “reservation fees” are illegal asks.

The only acceptable way to pay

• SEPA bank transfer to a Dutch IBAN (NL…) in the landlord’s or agency’s own name. Ask them to confirm the account name; your bank shows a name-check (IBAN-Naam Check) when you enter the transfer — if the name doesn’t match what you were told, stop.
• Pay the deposit and first month only — never 3+ months “to secure it.”
• Put the address and “deposit” in the payment description, and keep the receipt with the contract and the full chat history.

Never — no exceptions

• Western Union, MoneyGram, Ria, or any cash-pickup transfer.
• Crypto, gift cards, PayPal Friends & Family, or Tikkies to a private phone number.
• Cash handed over before you hold the keys and the signed contract.
• Foreign IBANs for a Dutch rental (a DE/ES/GB account “because I’m abroad”).
• Any payment demanded before a viewing “because there are many candidates.”

If you already paid

• Call your bank immediately and ask for a SEPA recall (terugboeking) — speed matters more than anything else.
• File a police report (aangifte) at politie.nl/aangifte — you’ll need it for the bank and any insurance.
• Report it at fraudehelpdesk.nl and to the platform where you found the listing.
• Keep everything: the listing, the chat, the payment receipt, the IBAN.

A verdict from Dormetrics is a risk signal, not a guarantee — these behavioural checks are the part no tool can do for you.