Unfortunately, housing scams are very common nowadays, including in Valencia City.

How does it work?

With the increased popularity of a city, finding housing becomes a challenge. Scarcity drives prices up and gives opportunity for scammers to capitalize on the huge demand. Next to that, the technological advancements and increased creativity of these frauds that make these scams that much more credible.

Imagine moving to a new country, with your life packed up in your suitcase, and not having a place to go to!

Internationals moving to Valencia often don't have the opportunity to visit their new homes before moving in or the luxury to wait for a perfect opportunity to come along when they arrive.

We started weVLC to help these internationals with an easier process, better housing, and a community of people to make you feel at home!

We're here to take away all the unnecessary stress that might occur when you're moving your life to a different location. Even if you don't end up living in one of our awesome homes, here are some tips to avoid you getting scammed.

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pay attention to these things when booking your next home:

Red flags:

• It's too good to be true - when the price is low compared to competitors, you know that's the case.
• You can't have a (video call) visit - they're too busy, they're out of town, it's rented right now, whatever the reason might be.
• They want you to wire money or pay the deposit before signing the contract.
• They delete the ad on Idealista quickly after posting or repost it daily.
• They ask you to contact someone else, a cousin, their previous landlord.
• They are only available by email.
• Only very few pictures in the ad.
• They ask you to send a screenshot of the ad when you contact them.
• They ask you to pay before signing the contract with the terms & conditions.

What you can do:

• Rent a hostel/hotel for the first 2/3 weeks, get to the city, and visit all listings available in person.
• Rent through an agency, co-living, or ask around at your work.
• Rent for a shorter period of time (1/2 months), so if the place isn't like the pictures, you don't lose too much money.
• Never offer to pay all months' rent upfront.
• Craft a message about who you are, when you want to move, what you're doing in the city, and what you're looking for. You're more likely to get a response on Idealista.
• Get on the phone and call!

Known scams&scammers:

• Klara Koller (Idealista)
• Redirection to a fake Airbnb website
• Sketchy Facebook profiles that redirect you to friends or family.

The platform to use:

We suggest using Idealista to find your new place, but be careful because none of the advertisements are verified!

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The best solution

Rent through us! Just kidding, but not really ;) . Rent through companies that are verified, through platforms that offer multiple housing options, and have a known track record.

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Our stress-free process

At weVLC, we want to do things right. We make a pre-selection between all the messages and requests that come in and filter based on the potential fit with the current roommates in the apartment. Pesky paperwork is for the old days, we provide a more pleasant experience by setting up a call with one of our teammates to guide you through our entire process and put a face to weVLC. Tenant happiness is our driving force, and we're here to provide you your new home to enjoy Valencia to the fullest!

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Send us an hola@welc.com with your request and we're happy to assist you!

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