Your Safety is Important to Us

WARNING: Advertisers are not allowed to post advertisements on this Website asking direct or indirect sexual favours in exchange for rent-free accommodation or any similar arrangements whatsoever. Be advised such demands are not only demeaning but also a possible violation of Sexual Offences Act 2003 (UK) and Modern Slavery Act 2015 (UK). We remove and block all such advertisements by means of automatic filters, manual content moderation and by acting on use of ‘Report Advert’ feature by our website visitors.

Pinklet aims is to deliver stress-free, safe and dignified services and content through its portal. Moderators at Pinklet work continuously to stop any scams and spam sneaking into Pinklet website listings. It is done by using filters and manual checks. Still, something suspicious can slip through the net and warning signs do not show up till a user contacts an advertiser. Please report and refrain from any transaction if any advert is showing following classic signs of potential fraud or inappropriate demands:

1. A landlord wants Deposit or Rent by means of wire transfer services such as Western Union, MoneyGram, Escrow services or to be delivered to someone at places like car parks etc.
2. You are not allowed to inspect the properties before handing over Deposit or Advance Rent or both.
3. A landlord or its agent tries to exercise undue pressure to complete the transaction.
4. If the landlord or its agent avoids showing you his ID or You’re not allowed direct contact with the landlord – for instance that they live are abroad.
5. Language or other inconstancies in the advertisement.
6. If It seemed all too good to be true or a price of rent is unusually low do a further research like market rate for similar properties in that area. Always trust your instincts.

Tips for Room/Flatmate/ Property Seekers:

1. Be vigilant and safety conscious.
2. Do an online address search for advertised room/property.
3. Make aware any of your near and dear one’s beforehand of any impending meeting with a letting agent, prospective landlord or a flatmate before viewing a room/property.
4. You should always visit a property before handing over any money to a landlord. People who are not willing to show you their property or meet with you before accepting you as their tenant might not be legitimate.
5. Never part with large sums of cash without doing the proper checks, and we always recommend that you exchange funds in a safe, public environment with witnesses and a contract agreement.
6. Before handing down any money, do ask for letting agent’s, prospective landlord’s or flatmate’s ID like UK Driving Licence or Valid Passport and do not hesitate to note down their name and date of birth. Do not accept a copy of ID through email or messaging service like WhatsApp.
7. If in doubt run an online name search.
8. Be aware even telephone numbers looking like a landline number can be a non-physical virtual telephone number. If work telephone number is been provided run an online search.
9. In case of agency, listing run an online search for agency location. Before handing down money to an agency employee off the agency office check that person is a legitimate employee to accept money.
10. Ask if an agency is registered with consumer protection schemes like Property Ombudsman (TPOS).
11. Ask which tenancy deposit scheme the prospective landlord is listed with.
12. Before committing to or handing down cash or by bank transfer for a tenancy deposit or an advance rent, ask to view a Tenancy agreement, Gas Safety Certificate, Electrical Periodic Inspection Certificate if the dwelling is a Multiple Occupancy subject to Council HMO Licence and also have a sight of HMO Licence.
13. Before making a bank transfer run a free online check for bank Sort-code to determine it belongs to a UK high street bank.
14. At all costs do not transfer money if the sort-code or account number is that of Pre-paid card account.
15. To determine that prospective landlord is a legal owner of a property run a quick check at Land Registry for a fee of £3.00.
16. Before moving in ask for an itemise contents inventory also mentioning property’s state of repair when you may move in. Take photographs of a room/property at the time you move in.
17. Do not trust any contact details posted in advert text or image. Use Pinklet messaging option till you are confident that you are contacting a bona fide advertiser.

Safety tips for advertisers:

The following tips on personal safety are recommended by The Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

1. Once you have swapped numbers and receive a call from an applicant, chat on the phone for a while and trust your instincts. If you do not like the sound of the person on the other end, say you will need to phone them back with a suggested time and then call to say the place is no longer available.
2. Where possible, give them a mobile number, as landline numbers can be traced to an address.
3. When you set up a time for someone to visit, try and make sure that you are not in the house alone; ask another flatmate or friend to stay in with you. If you do have to carry out a viewing alone, then 'check the viewer in'. You can do this simply by making a call to a friend or relative as soon as they arrive saying - "Mr X” has just arrived for the viewing. We should be finished in “X” time and I will call you back then. The viewer then knows they have been 'registered' as having arrived and that someone is watching out for you.
4. You can also arrange a code word with your friend/relative so that if a viewer makes you feel uneasy for any reason, you can make an excuse to call them and say something simple that includes the code word. This will warn your friend that you feel unsafe but the viewer will have no idea you have done this. If your friend/relative hears the code word, they should either make their way around or send someone to your property as soon as possible.
5. Alternatively, if you feel threatened or uneasy during a viewing, make an excuse that you need to get something from your car and get out of the house. You could then go to a neighbour and ask them to return to the house with you until the viewer leaves. By leaving the viewer in the property alone, you may put your valuables at risk but that's better than putting yourself at risk.
6. Do not display valuables or wear expensive jewellery etc. at the time of viewing.
7. Always check who will be coming to the viewing. If they say it will just be one person and more people turn up, do not let them into the property.
8. If you agree to take someone on, do not let them move in until you have received a positive reference from their previous landlord.
9. You should also ask for a landline number eg. a work number and then check that it is correct and that they are who they say they are.
10. When conducting the viewing stay alert, be friendly but professional and avoid giving out too much personal information. Try to look confident and in control at all times.
11. Remember, always trust your instincts. If something doesn't feel quite right, act right away to remove yourself from the situation.

If you still have any question please do not hesitate to contact us.