05/06/2024
Rental scams in Budapest
As a flat owner in Budapest, I am very upset about the more and more common flat rental scams. I see more and more cases, and not just foreigners, hungarians fell into traps very often.
Please, be very very aware in Hungary (too)!
If you can not rent personally, please book an airbnb for a week and visit the places. If it is not possible at all, and you want to book an advance, than few things you must check for sure.
1. Videocall - even owners are living in abroad, they have and everyone has friends or family or the current tenant, who can show the place in videocall. All my tenants were kind and lovely, for sure there is a way it can be seen. This is a must thing to do, to see in real time: it is real?
2. Ask for proof of ownership. It is called tulajdoni lap in hungarian, it is super easy for owners to download it. Google: tulajdoni lap and have an idea how it is suppose to look like. The adress, dates, owners name and parcel/property number (helyrajzi szám). All data must be the same in the contract. In a real proper contract everything has to be written.
3. Ask them to show personal identification documents and data must be the same in the contract, and proof of ownership. You can ask them on video call also. This should not be a problem.
4. There is no such a thing "signing a contract via e-mail". Eletronic signature its not very common yet in Hungary for rental contracts, but if someone using it, the official information can be found here: https://hiteles.gov.hu/cikk/50/eszig_e-alairas_informaciok ( you can read it via google translate). It's connected to ID cards, it can be checked by authorities, if it is valid, but without hungarian knowledge, it might be difficult.
5. Please, have a look on the hungarian rental market. www.alberlet.hu or ingatlan.com or Budapest Albérlet , Albérlet Budapest facebook groups... You can see after 1-2 hours of browsing how the prices are. A modern downtown studio for 400 euro all included is not realistic today. I would say with utilities its around or more than 500 Euro (500 euro all included, than you are lucky) . In the dowtown a new modern furnished studio for 140 000 huf + utilities does not exist anymore either. For a 64 m2 living room + 2 bedrooms +2 bathroom loft flat with 40m2 terrace, all included 195 000 huf for a month is a lie. It is at least 400 000 huf + utilities. If you are looking for lower prices, be open for more far away places from downtown (but not half of the downtown pices). Public transport is extremly good in Budapest (maybe not always clean but covering all parts of the city). More metro station you travel to the outlying districts, more green and less crowded places can be found.
6. Unfortunately with real flat visit in person, there are still scamming people. Look for sign of airbnb... Keylock next to the door, airbnb style of rules on the wall, NTAK sign on the building or the flat door. Check the adress in google and ask for proof of ownership! The scammer rents a flat for a day. They set a date for visiting with different people. After that, arriving at the site the potential tenants are encouraged to sign a contract immediately if they don't want to be left behind. The fraudsters then pocket the two-month deposit and the first month's rent several times within hours, and then absorb. If they hurry you, the price is too good, get suspicious. Often they show fake ID. If you feel somehting is off, please ask for help. Here is the info how can you dowloand official tulajdoni lap: https://magyarorszag.hu/szuf_ugyleiras?id=5abe39f4-28b1-4862-8ec6-89e74c2f9a4d
or you can ask them to download it for you in front of you in a laptop! All hungarian citizen is able to download it few times for free, or with 3000 Huf fee. Here is a video of the tulajdoni lap downloading https://youtu.be/EmVfycT3e5Y?si=kpVFUToR6t0TcU5s
7. If you are renting an expensive place,do not feel sorry paying for official way of contancts. 2 months deposit and 1 month rental can be easily up to 1 000 000 huf (2500-2800 euro) or more, a lawer or notary cost around 150 euro. It minimizes the possibility of mistakes if we sign the contract with a lawyer or notary and not in a coffee shop, in front of unknown witnesses.
What can you do if the scammed already happened?
1. Contact your bank immediately! Send them the fraudster's bank account number. Very often, the bank data what they provide do not match the bank's real data. Only the bank account is real, because otherwise they wouldn't get the money. Here you can check online which bank the bank account number actually belongs to.
https://www.bankszamlakereso.hu/ If it is not matching, starts to get suspicious!
2. If you are in Hungary, go to the closest police station and make a report to the police. You will get official copies of the report and it can help you to reclaim the money via your bank. Only your bank will be able to reclaim from a hungarian bank. I had a phone calll with hungarian banks, to confirm, this is the only way.
Good luck, and if you have any question to me, please do not hesitate to contact me via messenger.
Good luck and be aware of signs!
L
