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Are down payments in rental before a contract normal?

S
#1
Hello everyone, I am looking for an apartment in rotterdam and an agency asked for a down payment so that the landlord can accept or reject us and money will be refunded unless we cancel. I viewed this apartment personally, I sent them documents and after a few weeks they requested some more that I forgot to send and later they accepted us and now it is up to the landlord to accept us. But they're asking For 500 euros down-payment. The company is called Youspace.nl they seem legit but it is still a very sketchy practice. Any advice?
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Cheryl
#2

Hello Sergiu120,


Thank you for starting this new thread to ask your questions.


While waiting for members of this forum to shed some light on his situation, I invite you to read the Living in Rotterdam guide for expats > Accommodation in Rotterdam.


All the best,


Cheryl

Expt.com team

3Josh
#3

Hi- thanks for your question. I don't really have any specifics on this, but I think asking for a non-trivial amount of money before there's a contractual relationship does sound sketchy. I know there's some apartment advice sites/orgs out there that might be able to give you more concrete advice (I wasn't able to find ones specifically in Rotterdam, but google might help you) - there's also legal aid organizations, just as Juridisch Loket, who has a section on their website regarding residential law. Good luck!

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