Student Accommodation Safety: Rent Safely, Avoid Scams

Student accommodation safety comes down to two rules: don't send money until you have confirmed that the room and the owner are real, and don't move into a building that isn't safe to sleep in. Most rental scams follow a few patterns, and each one has a simple check that stops it.

Common rental scams in Pakistan

Advance for a room you never saw

The ad shows a clean room near campus at a low rent. The "owner" says many students are interested and asks for an advance on JazzCash or Easypaisa to hold it. After you pay, the number stops answering.

The check: never pay before you, or someone you trust, has seen the room in person or on a live video call where the person walks you from the gate to the room.

The fake owner

Someone who isn't the owner (a former tenant, a "caretaker", or a stranger who copied a real ad) takes advances from several students for one room.

The check: ask for the owner's full name and match it against a recent electricity or gas bill for that address, or the ownership papers.

Photos copied from somewhere else

The check: run the photos through a reverse image search such as Google Lens. Then ask for one new photo that can't be copied, for example the room with a paper showing your name and today's date.

Pressure to pay today

"Five students are coming this evening. Pay in an hour or it's gone." Pressure is there to stop you checking. A genuine owner can usually wait a day for a viewing.

"Pay to reserve a viewing"

You are asked for a fee just to see the room. Don't pay anything for a viewing.

Bait and switch

You pay an advance for one room, and on arrival "that room is gone", but a worse or more expensive one is free. Get the room or bed number and the agreed rent in writing before paying.

The OTP call

Someone claiming to be the owner, your bank, a wallet company or even MyStay asks for a code sent to your phone "to confirm the booking" or "to send your refund". That one-time password (OTP) unlocks your account. The State Bank of Pakistan has warned that banks do not ask for your PIN, OTP, CNIC number or account number on the phone.

How to check that the owner is real

1. Keep the conversation in writing. Use WhatsApp, SMS or email so there is a record of what was agreed.
2. Match the name. The owner's name on their CNIC should match the utility bill or ownership papers for the property, and the name on the account you pay into.
3. See the place. Visit, send a friend or relative who lives in that city, or do a live video call.
4. Ask around. A current resident or a nearby shopkeeper usually knows who owns the building.
5. Don't rely on a "verified" label. A "verified" label on any website is not a check of the building or its condition. Check the owner's CNIC yourself, and ask for proof that the person owns or manages the building.

How to pay safely

• Pay the owner directly, into an account in the owner's name. If your bank app or wallet shows the account holder's name before you confirm, check that it matches.
• Pay only a small token to hold the room, and only after you have seen it (or had a live video call) and have the terms in writing. Pay the rest when you move in.
• Get a receipt for every payment, including cash, and keep a photo of each one. A receipt is a record, not a guarantee of a refund.
• Agree the refund terms first. Refunds are settled between you and the owner, so get the deposit and cancellation terms in writing before you transfer anything. Our guide to security deposits and advance rent explains what to agree.
• Never share an OTP, PIN, password, card number or CVV with anyone, for any reason.

MyStay is not a landlord or agent, and it does not take bookings or payments. Rent, deposits and advance go directly to the owner by bank transfer, JazzCash, Easypaisa or cash. MyStay never asks for money, card or banking credentials, so anyone "from MyStay" asking for payment or a code is a scammer.

Personal safety in student accommodation

Choosing a girls' hostel

Ask whether a female warden lives on site, what time the gate closes, and where male visitors may sit. CCTV should cover the gate and corridors, and never rooms or washrooms. Ask who holds spare keys to the rooms, and talk to a current resident without the owner listening. Give your parents the warden's number before you move in.

Arriving in a new city, especially at night

• Plan to arrive in daylight. If your bus or train lands late, tell the warden your arrival time in advance.
• Book Careem, InDrive or Bykea through the app, not from a stranger at the station, and check that the number plate matches before you get in.
• Share your live location and trip details with family until you're inside the hostel.
• Keep the hostel address and the warden's number written on paper, in case your phone battery dies.

Emergency numbers to save

Also save the warden, the owner, a classmate in the same city and your university's security office.

Gas and fire safety in hostels

Gas heaters and geysers need the most care in winter. Carbon monoxide (CO) is colourless and has no smell, and heating and cooking appliances can produce it if they are faulty, badly installed or poorly maintained, according to the NHS. Early signs are headache, dizziness, feeling sick, tiredness, confusion and shortness of breath. Health experts quoted in The News advise never keeping a gas heater on while you sleep, and keeping a window open when it is on.

• Never sleep with a gas heater on in a closed room. Turn it off and close the gas valve before bed.
• Gas geysers belong outside or in a well-ventilated place. If one is fitted inside a small bathroom with no vent, ask the owner to move it.
• If you smell gas, don't use a match or lighter to find the leak. Open doors and windows, close the gas valve, go outside and call 1199.
• If people feel dizzy or sick while a heater is on, get everyone into fresh air and call 1122.
• Consider a CO alarm. The NHS recommends one in rooms with fuel-burning appliances.
• For fire, know two ways out and where the extinguisher is. Don't overload extension boards or leave irons and heaters on near bedding.

What to do if something goes wrong

1. Stop paying, even to "unlock" a refund, and save the evidence: screenshots of the ad and chat, phone numbers, transaction IDs and receipts.
2. Call your bank or wallet immediately on the official helpline in its app or on your card, and report the transfer.
3. Report the listing to the website or group where you found it, with the listing name and your screenshots, so other students are warned.
4. Report online fraud to the NCCIA, the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency, which took over the FIA's cybercrime wing. Call the 1799 helpline, or file a complaint through the official NCCIA website (nccia.gov.pk).
5. Call 15 if you are threatened, harassed or in danger. For a written complaint, go to the police station for that area.

Before you book anything, run through the hostel checklist. For a flat, read our rental agreement guide.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell if a hostel listing is a scam?

Warning signs are a rent far below similar rooms, an owner who won't show the room live, pressure to pay the same day, payment wanted in someone else's account, and a request for a viewing fee or an OTP. Stop and check the owner before paying.

Is it safe to pay a hostel advance on JazzCash or Easypaisa?

It is much safer once you have seen the room, confirmed the owner's identity, and checked that the account name matches the owner. Pay only what is needed to hold the room, and keep the receipt and the chat where the amount was agreed.

Does MyStay ever ask for my OTP or bank details?

No. MyStay never asks for an OTP, card or banking credentials, and it does not take bookings or payments; rent goes directly to the owner. Treat anyone who asks for these while claiming to be from MyStay as a scammer.

Where do I report an online rental scam in Pakistan?

Report it to your bank or wallet first, then to the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on its 1799 helpline or its official website. Also report the listing to the website or group where you found it.

Sources

• Dawn: State Bank of Pakistan warns against fake calls
• NHS: Carbon monoxide poisoning
• The News: Use of gas heaters without safety measures can put lives at risk
• UN Women Asia-Pacific: Emergency contacts, Pakistan
• Rescue 1122
• Punjab Commission on the Status of Women: Helpline 1043
• Islamabad Police
• SNGPL
• Arab News: Pakistan launches cybercrime helpline
• Wikipedia: National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency