Safety Guidelines

Most rental scams follow familiar patterns. Slow down if you notice any of these:

• Too good to be true. The rent is far below similar places nearby, or the listing promises a lot with very few details.
• No viewing. The person says they are out of the country or too busy, and offers to mail the keys once you pay.
• Pressure. You are told many others are interested and you must pay today, or the offer disappears.
• Unusual payment requests. Payment by gift card, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or money transfer service, payment to a third party, or a “holding fee” before any viewing.
• Early requests for personal information. Asking for your Social Insurance Number, banking details or a copy of your ID before you have seen the place or agreed on terms.
• Suspicious links. Links to “tenant verification”, “credit check” or “rental history” sites, or messages asking you to log in somewhere to continue.
• Copied listings. The same photos appear in other ads with a different address, price or contact name. A reverse image search can help.
• Fake platform involvement. Someone says Muslim Rentals will hold your deposit or guarantee the listing, or that a fee is needed to “verify” or “unlock” it. Muslim Rentals does none of these.
• Leaning on trust instead of details. Shared faith, kind words, or a mention of a masjid or community connection are not a substitute for seeing the place and confirming who you are dealing with. Genuine members of the community will understand you checking.

• View the rental in person where reasonably possible. If you cannot, ask for a live video tour where they walk through the actual unit.
• Make sure the person showing the property has access to it and can answer specific questions about it.
• Ask whether they are the owner, a tenant subletting, or a property manager. Tenants often need the landlord's permission to sublet, and ownership can sometimes be confirmed through public property records.
• Check that the address, unit, photos and details in the listing match what you see.
• If something does not add up, take your time. A genuine landlord or renter will understand.

• Do not send a deposit or any money before you have had a fair chance to view the property (in person or by live video) and confirmed who you are dealing with.
• Use a payment method that leaves a record, and get a receipt for every payment that says what it is for. A record is not protection: e-transfers and cash generally cannot be reversed once sent, so the checks above still matter.
• Never pay by gift card or cryptocurrency, and be very cautious with wire or money transfer services.
• Get the rental agreement in writing before you move in. It should name both parties and set out the rent, any deposit, the start date, what is included and who is responsible for what.
• Some provinces require a standard form of lease. Even for a room in a shared home, a short written agreement helps avoid misunderstandings.

Rules on deposits, rent increases, standard leases, and whether shared accommodation is covered at all vary by province and territory. Some provinces and territories limit what a landlord can ask for in advance, such as the type or amount of a deposit. Before you agree to anything, check the rules with the residential tenancy office or board for the province or territory where the property is located.

• Share personal information only when it is needed, and only once you are confident the rental and the person are genuine.
• Be cautious about sharing your Social Insurance Number. You can usually offer other ways to show you can pay the rent, such as a reference or proof of income.
• If you must share a copy of ID, consider adding a watermark such as “For rental application only” with the date, and covering numbers that are not needed.
• Be wary of requests that go beyond a normal rental application, such as a photo of you holding your ID, a passport scan, screenshots of your online banking, or a “credit check” through a link they send you.
• A photo of someone's ID, a lease or a property document sent in a message is easy to fake and does not prove they own or manage the property.
• Never share passwords, banking login details or one-time security codes with anyone.

• Do not click links from people you have just met that ask you to sign in, pay a fee, or “verify” your details.
• Muslim Rentals is free. It does not charge fees to post, view or contact anyone, does not hold deposits or take payments, and does not offer payment protection. Muslim Rentals will never ask you for your password or a verification or security code; anyone who does is not us. Be cautious of anyone claiming to be Muslim Rentals who asks for ID documents or payment by message, email or phone, and report them. Sign in only on muslimrentals.ca, typing the address yourself if in doubt. If you make a privacy request, Muslim Rentals will ask only for what is reasonably needed to confirm it is you, usually a reply from the email address on your account.
• If you think you entered details on a fake site, change your password and contact your bank if financial details were involved.

• Bring a friend or family member to viewings where you can, especially the first one.
• Tell someone where you are going, who you are meeting and when you expect to be back.
• Arrange viewings during the day where possible, and keep your phone charged.
• If you feel uncomfortable at any point, you can leave. You do not owe anyone a decision on the spot.

• Keep conversations in Muslim Rentals messaging, especially early on. You do not have to share your phone number or email, and the conversation stays in one place if you later need to report it.
• Be cautious if someone pushes to move the conversation elsewhere straight away.
• Keep records of important details, such as the agreed rent, dates and payments.
• If someone is rude or makes you uncomfortable, you can stop replying and report them.

Messages are not end-to-end encrypted, and administrators and moderators can access conversations for safety and moderation purposes. See the Privacy Policy.

• Your listing's street address and unit are not shown publicly, and the public map shows only an approximate location. Share the exact address when you are ready to arrange a viewing.
• Contact details you add to a listing are visible to anyone who is signed in, and anyone can create a free account. Consider relying on in-app messaging instead.
• Muslim Rentals removes the location and camera information stored inside photo files, including profile photos, when they are uploaded. What a photo shows can still reveal where you live, such as a street sign, house number or the view from a window, so check photos before posting them.
• Avoid photos that show people, personal documents, mail or anything else that identifies someone.
• Watch for overpayment scams: someone “accidentally” sends too much and asks for the difference back. Wait until a payment has fully cleared in your account, and be wary of payment confirmation emails or screenshots.
• Collect only the applicant information you genuinely need, and keep it secure.
• Audience labels (Brothers, Sisters, Families or For anyone) are a description you choose to help people discover your listing. They are not eligibility rules set or enforced by Muslim Rentals. You remain responsible for complying with applicable federal, provincial, territorial and municipal housing and human-rights law in your listing and in how you choose a tenant. See the Content & Community Guidelines.

When you are signed in, you can report a listing from the listing itself, and a person or a single message from your conversation with them. Choose a reason and add any details that will help with the review.

For anything else, write to muslimrentals.ca@gmail.com or use the Contact page. See the Content & Community Guidelines for what is not allowed and how reports are handled.

• Immediate danger: call 911 or your local emergency services. Muslim Rentals is not an emergency service and cannot respond in real time.
• Fraud: if you sent money or personal information to a scammer, contact your bank right away, report it to your local police, and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (online or at 1-888-495-8501). Then report the listing or person on Muslim Rentals so a moderator can review it.
• Tenancy questions or disputes: contact the residential tenancy office or board in your province or territory.
• Housing discrimination: contact the human rights commission or tribunal in your province or territory.

These guidelines offer general safety tips. They are not legal advice and cannot cover every situation. For advice about your own circumstances, contact your provincial or territorial tenancy authority, a legal clinic or a lawyer.