Safety Tips

1. How Landlordspace helps keep you safe

• Hidden contact details. Owners’ phone and email are not shown to anonymous visitors, and owners decide who gets them.
• Verification. Our team reviews ownership documents and shows a Verified badge. It is a strong signal, not a guarantee (see the Terms).
• Moderation and spam protection. New listings can be reviewed; duplicate and suspicious listings are flagged; repeated spam is blocked.
• In-app messaging with block and report buttons.
• Inspection scheduling with reminders, and rent reminders, payment confirmation and numbered receipts for tenants and landlords.
• Reports. Every listing and profile has a “Report” option that goes straight to our trust and safety team.

2. If you are buying or renting

Before you commit

• Compare, don’t rush. Check similar listings. A price far below market is the most common bait. Scammers create urgency (“many people are paying today”).
• Prefer Verified listings and check the owner’s profile: how long they have been a member, their reviews and other listings.
• Look for consistency. Do the photos, address, description and map agree? Reverse-search photos if unsure. Be wary of properties with no address detail or only stock-looking images.
• Ask to see the owner or an authorised agent at the property and ask for ID and proof of authority.

Never skip an inspection

• Visit in daylight, bring someone with you, and tell a friend where you are going.
• Check water, power, roofing, security, neighbours, access roads, flooding and noise. Take your own photos.
• Do not accept “we will send you video instead” for a property you plan to pay for.

Paying safely

• Never pay “to secure the property” or “to book an inspection”. Genuine inspections do not require a fee paid in advance to a stranger.
• Pay only after documents have been checked and agreements signed. Where possible, pay by bank transfer to an account in the owner’s or company’s verified name, or through your lawyer, and insist on a written, signed, dated receipt.
• Do not pay in cash without a receipt, and never with gift cards, crypto or to someone in a different name “because the owner is travelling”.
• Agents and agency fees: agree commission in writing and pay it only when the service is delivered as agreed.

3. Documents to check (buying or long leases)

Requirements differ by country, so take advice from a qualified local property lawyer and a licensed surveyor before paying. Typically you should look at:

• Proof of title: for example a Certificate of Occupancy, Deed of Assignment, Governor’s Consent, title deed, or the equivalent in your country, and a search at the land registry confirming the owner and any mortgage, caveat or dispute.
• Survey plan and boundary confirmation; planning and building approvals for built property.
• Seller’s government ID and, for companies, registration documents and proof that the signer has authority.
• Evidence that taxes, ground rent, service charges and utility bills are up to date.
• For land: confirm there is no government acquisition, community claim or family dispute on it.

4. If you are a tenant

• Read your tenancy agreement fully before signing: rent, deposit, service charge, notice periods, repairs, renewal and rules on subletting. Keep a signed copy.
• Pay rent only to the account details your landlord has shown you on the Rent & payments page or in a reminder email. If details change, call the landlord on a number you already know before paying.
• After paying, press “I have paid” and add your transfer reference and proof. Keep your bank statement, because your landlord must confirm receipt before a receipt is issued.
• Always keep your numbered receipt. Anyone can check it at /verify-receipt using the code.
• Take dated photos of the property’s condition when you move in, and report faults in writing.

5. If you are an owner, landlord, agent or developer

• Protect your contact details. Keep the default privacy settings, and release your number only to serious enquirers.
• Screen tenants and buyers: ask for ID, employer or business details and references, and speak to them before handing over keys. Meet at the property with another person present.
• Confirm money before confirming payment. Check that funds have actually cleared in your own account. Screenshots, SMS alerts and “transfer successful” pages can be faked. Only then press “Confirm received”.
• Beware of overpayment scams: if someone sends more than agreed and asks you to refund the difference, wait until the original payment has fully cleared, or refuse.
• Be careful with advance-fee requests from “agents” or “clients abroad”, and with anyone who wants to move you off the Platform immediately.
• Keep your listings current. Mark properties as let or sold promptly so people are not misled.
• Upload only documents you are entitled to share, and keep originals safe.

6. Common scams and warning signs

7. Staying safe when meeting people

• Meet in daylight at the property or a public place. Never go alone to an isolated location.
• Tell someone where you are going and who you are meeting, and share your live location if you can.
• Do not carry large amounts of cash. Do not hand over money at the first meeting.
• Trust your instincts. Leave if you feel uneasy. In an emergency contact your local emergency number straight away (for example 112 in Nigeria).

8. Staying safe online

• Use a long, unique password and keep your email account secure.
• Be cautious with links and attachments. Check the web address says our real domain before signing in.
• Never share OTP codes, PINs, or card details with anyone claiming to be from Landlordspace.
• Sign out on shared devices.

9. How to report a problem, and what we do

Use the Report button on any listing or profile, or email cosmoselijah@gmail.com with links and screenshots. Our trust and safety team will review it, may hide the listing while we investigate, remove content, suspend accounts, and work with the authorities where appropriate. We cannot recover money you paid outside the Platform, so report early and also report to the police if you have lost money.

Landlordspace is a marketplace and communication platform. We are not a party to any transaction and do not hold users’ money. These tips are guidance, not legal or financial advice. Please read our Terms.