Rental Scams in Short-Term Apartments: What Guests Should Know

How to Safely Book a Short-Term Apartment

✅ 1. Use trusted sources

• The best choice is to book through well-known platforms like Booking or Airbnb — or directly with the owner or a company that manages apartments itself.
• Avoid random listings on social media or messengers without reviews, contact details, or a website.

✅ 2. Be mindful about prepayment

• If you book on the same day, you can often check in without prepayment — especially in the evening if the apartment is already available.
• If booking in advance (1–3 days or more), most responsible companies or hosts will ask for a small prepayment — usually the first night — to secure your booking.
• This is standard practice: it protects both sides and helps with planning.

✅ 3. Ask for more than one photo

• Request a video tour, a photo of the window view, or simply a “today’s” picture.
• This is a simple check that scammers usually fail.

✅ 4. Clarify all conditions in advance

• Get the full address, entrance code, floor, and details about amenities like internet, hot water, or a washing machine — before making any payment.

Why do landlords ask for a deposit?

This often causes confusion. In reality:

A deposit is a safety guarantee for both parties.

For example, at Rentals Ukraine, guests leave a small cash deposit at check-in.

It covers minor risks — like damaged furniture, lost keys, or anything broken in the apartment.

The deposit is returned at check-out if everything is fine. This is a normal and transparent practice, common in both hotels and private apartments.

Quick Safety Checklist for Booking

✅ Real photos, with a website or a profile with reviews

✅ A contact person who responds to questions

✅ Clear payment and cancellation policy

✅ Booking confirmation provided

✅ All stay conditions discussed in advance

Conclusion

Short-term rentals are convenient and flexible. But both the guest and the host should be equally interested in transparent, fair conditions.

If you take booking seriously, and the host is also open and professional, there will be no issues.

ℹ️ Where to find safe rentals?

On rent365.net you’ll find apartments and mini-hotels in Kyiv offered directly by Rentals Ukraine — with no intermediaries.

• Photos on the site are real, taken by us
• Prices are lower than on big platforms, since there are no commissions
• Book directly with a manager — no risk of scams