Staying safe
Last updated August 2026
Rental scams cost Canadians and Americans tens of millions of dollars over the last five years, and about half of it started in Facebook housing groups. Almost all of it follows the same script. Here is the script.
The one rule
Never send money for a room you have not stood inside.
Not a deposit, not a holding fee, not first month, not an “application fee”. No legitimate lister needs money before you have seen the place. This single rule stops nearly every rental scam that exists.
What a scam looks like
The price is too good. Well under everything comparable in the same area. That is bait, not a bargain.
They cannot meet. They are out of the country, working offshore, a missionary, recently relocated. The keys will be couriered.
They rush you. Several other people are interested, it goes today, send the deposit to hold it.
They want to leave RoomyCity immediately. Move to text, WhatsApp or email before answering a single question about the room.
The payment method is strange. e-transfer to a stranger, wire, gift cards, or crypto. Gift cards are never a rent payment. They are a scam, every time.
The photos are too polished. If they look like a real-estate listing, try a reverse image search. Stolen listing photos are the most common prop in this script.
Viewing a room safely
Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.
Go during daylight, and take someone with you if you can.
Meet the people who actually live there. If you are being shown a shared home and none of the roommates are around, come back when they are. You are choosing them as much as the room.
Ask to see the lease or proof they can rent it out. A real lister will not be offended.
Trust the feeling. If something is off, leave. You owe no one an explanation.
Before you sign
Get everything in writing: rent, what is included, deposit, notice period, and who is on the lease.
Know your provincial rights, because they are not the same province to province. In Alberta a security deposit cannot exceed one month’s rent and must be held in a trust account. In British Columbia the cap is half a month’s rent, with a separate pet damage deposit of up to another half month. Anyone asking for materially more than the cap where you are is either running a scam or does not know the rules, and neither is a person to send money to.
Photograph the condition of the room on the day you move in.
If something goes wrong
Use the Report link on any profile, listing or conversation. Reports that look like scams are triaged within four hours, and reporting is confidential. The person you report is not told who reported them.
You can also block someone from any conversation. Blocking is mutual and immediate: they cannot see you or message you again.
If you have lost money, report it to your local police and to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.