Online scams: what hosts should look out for

At Hospi Housing, we take visible and invisible measures to help prevent scams. In this blog, you can read what to watch out for and how to report suspicious situations to us.

Online scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. In the Netherlands, there have been reports of scammers pretending to be company employees in order to obtain personal or financial information. That is why we ask hosts to stay alert.

Measures against scammers

At Hospi Housing, we started with the mission to be scam-free. We verify all our hosts and host families and always personally contact new tenants. Unlike most platforms, you cannot simply get in touch with anyone right away. For this reason, we facilitate chats, contracts and deposit payments through our platform. Unfortunately, however, scams can never be ruled out completely, which is why it is important to remain vigilant.

It is also important for hosts and host families to stay alert. At Hospi Housing, we take various measures to prevent scams. Some of these measures are visible, for example in the chat or during the rental process. Other measures are less visible, but help us identify suspicious activity and better protect our users.

At the same time, caution remains important. By paying close attention and using the secure steps within our platform, you reduce the risk of misuse.

What can you do yourself?

We ask hosts to be extra alert to messages that feel unusual. For example, requests to continue the conversation outside the platform, click on external links or share personal details without a clear reason.

Please keep the following in mind:

By arranging the rental contract and deposit through Hospi Housing, the process remains clearer and safer. This also allows us to support you better if there are questions, uncertainties or concerns about misuse.

Always report suspicious situations

Are you unsure about a message, user or request? Always report it to us. You can do this directly in the chat by reporting a user. You can also always send us an email or WhatsApp message.

We take reports of possible scams extremely seriously. Even if you are not sure whether something is really wrong, we would rather hear from you. This allows us to investigate more quickly, take action where needed and better protect other users.

Together, we keep hosting safe

Renting through Hospi Housing should be safe, reliable and pleasant. We will continue to work on measures to prevent misuse, and we ask hosts to stay alert when communicating with potential tenants.

Use the secure steps within the platform, be careful with personal information and always report suspicious situations. Together, we can help keep homestay hosting a trustworthy way to share living space.