Accommodation in Egypt: scams you should look out for

Bhavna

Team

Member since 01 June 2015

Quatre Bornes, Plaines Wilhems

Bhavna

09 May 2019 12:16:14

37106

Bhavna

09 May 2019 12:16:14

37106

Quatre Bornes, Plaines Wilhems

Hi,

Committing to renting or buying accommodation when you're new to or have not moved to Egypt just yet is always a stressful endeavour. Would you like to help us in putting together a handbook of what to look out for when house hunting in Egypt?

What are the most common scams in Egypt?

What are the red flags to look out for when scanning through adverts?

Is there a list of registered or accredited landlords or real estate agencies in Egypt?

What authorities should be sought should one come across an accommodation scam?

Please share your experience,

Bhavna

Larry1987

Member

Member since 10 December 2018

Maadi Cornish, Muhafazat al Qa

Larry1987

13 May 2019 09:42:40

Larry1987

13 May 2019 09:42:40

Maadi Cornish, Muhafazat al Qa

Hi Bhavna,

I moved to Cairo a few months ago and have a few tips for people looking to rent:

1. Always go through an agency and arrange to meet them first at their office before going to view the property. It's quite common for ‘agents/landlords' you meet on property sites to take you to empty apartments that don't belong to them, in order to cheat you out of a deposit payment. If you go to their office first you can gauge if it's a legitimate business.

2. If possible always try and take a local with you to view a property, they will be familiar with what to look out for and if you don't speak Arabic they can ask the questions that you can't.

3. Look at several properties in one area to establish what the average rent is for the size, decoration and location. To make sure they are asking a fair price.

Cheers