How Rentalsafe works
Rentalsafe is deliberately simple: fixed rules you can read, a checklist you can act on, and nothing kept about you.
1. Rules decide the result
Every check runs a fixed set of published rules over the text you paste. Each rule looks for one known pattern — for example, a deposit before viewing or a request to pay into a personal account.
Each rule has a weight. We add the weights of the rules that fire and show the result as Few, Some or Many warning signs. Any request for money before viewing always shows at least Some.
Good signs — like a viewing offered before any payment or a visible ad permit — reduce the total, but can never cancel a money warning.
2. AI only explains — never decides
This preview uses no AI at all. When we add an AI summary, it will only rewrite the findings in plain language and pull out details like rent and area.
It will be labelled “AI-written summary”, it will never change the result, and it will only ever see text with personal details removed.
Pasted text is treated as data, never as instructions. If a listing contains hidden instructions aimed at checkers, we flag it and ignore it.
3. Nothing you paste is stored
Your text is checked in memory and discarded. We don't keep it, we don't log it and we don't train on it.
Before any processing, we strip phone numbers, email addresses, IBANs, Emirates ID, passport and card numbers.
No account, no cookies for tracking, no analytics, no ad pixels. To prevent abuse we count checks per connection for up to an hour, in memory only.
4. Local verify packs
Warning signs tell you where to look; verification tells you whether a listing is real. For each market with a local pack we link to the services where you can check the listing yourself; in the UAE that goes emirate by emirate — ad permits, broker licences, title deeds and lease registration.
For the UK, US, Europe (Netherlands, Germany, France), India and Australia we show the local verify steps — deposit protection, agent and ownership checks — and where to report. Anywhere else you get the core checklist and an international report link.
We link out — we don't copy, scrape or display government data, and we use no government logos. Rentalsafe is not affiliated with any of these bodies. Each pack is versioned and its links are re-checked.
All rules (version r0.2.1)
The complete list of warning signs and good signs the checker uses today.
| Rule | What it means | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Asks for money before you have viewed the place or signed a registered contract. Real landlords and agents let you view first. | +30 |
| A2 | Payment is directed to a personal or third-party account instead of the landlord or the agency. | +30 |
| A3 | Asks for a payment method that is hard to trace or reverse (wire service, gift cards, crypto, cash only). | +30 |
| A4 | Asks for a 'refundable insurance or security' payment before check-in or keys — a common holiday-home pattern. | +15 |
| A5 | Says too much was paid and asks you to send back the difference — a known overpayment pattern. | +30 |
| B1 | Uses urgency to rush a decision before you can check anything. | +10 |
| B2 | The other side says they are away, cannot show the property, or will send keys by courier. | +25 |
| B3 | Moves the conversation off the platform to a private chat app or personal email. | +10 |
| B4 | Asks for identity or income documents, or a paid 'credit-check link', before any viewing or agreement. | +25 |
| C1 | The rent is far below the usual range for this kind of property (less than 70% of the low end). | +20 |
| C3 | The address is vague or withheld, or the photos are stock images. | +5 |
| C4 | The contact website looks newly created, or an 'agency' uses a free email address. | +10 |
| C5 | Contains wording often seen in known rental-scam messages. | +10 |
| D1g | A Dubai rental ad should show a DLD ad permit with a Madmoun QR code. None is shown, or it is refused. | +15 |
| D2g | The 'agent' will not give a broker registration number or company licence you can check. | +15 |
| D3g | The 'owner' refuses to share the title-deed number so you can verify ownership. | +20 |
| D4g | Avoids registering the lease (Ejari / Tawtheeq / attestation). A real lease in the UAE gets registered. | +25 |
| D7g | A Dubai holiday home should have a DET holiday-home permit number. None is offered. | +10 |
| X1 | The pasted text contains instructions aimed at automated checkers. They were ignored; the result comes from fixed rules. | 0 |
| L1 | Offers a viewing before any payment — what you would expect from a real listing. | -10 |
| L2 | Shows an ad permit / broker number you can check yourself. | -10 |
Questions
How is the result decided?
Results come from fixed, published rules. This preview uses no AI; any future AI summary will be labelled and will never change the result.
Is the text I paste stored?
Pasted text is checked in memory and discarded. Phone numbers, emails, IBANs and ID numbers are removed before the rules run.
Does Rentalsafe check landlords, agents or tenants?
Rentalsafe checks listings and messages, never people. It does no credit, criminal, eviction, identity or income lookups and gives no score for any person.
Is Rentalsafe connected to Dubai Land Department, ADREC, the FTC or any police force?
Rentalsafe is independent. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any government authority, police force or listing platform. It links to their websites so you can check for yourself.