PropertyZoom Safety and Security Centre

Last updated: 11 August 2026

How PropertyZoom helps you find your next home

PropertyZoom is a property platform advertising homes for sale and to rent on behalf of our customers — estate agents, letting agents, new homes developers, and property owners — who list their properties with us. We want to help you find your next home, and we're committed to helping you do that safely and securely.

To support this, we carry out checks on agents and other customers before allowing them to advertise on PropertyZoom, and we monitor the Platform on an ongoing basis to identify and remove suspicious listings.

PropertyZoom is not an estate agent

PropertyZoom is a marketplace, not an estate agent. We don't own, manage, buy, sell, or let any of the properties listed on the Platform — this is done by the agents, developers, and property owners who advertise with us. Any offer, contract, viewing arrangement, or tenancy is between you and that advertiser, not PropertyZoom.

If you see a property advertised elsewhere by an entity claiming to be "PropertyZoom" or using our name or branding, this is not genuine and did not come from us. Please treat it with caution and report it to us.

How to stay safe when looking for property online

The vast majority of agents, landlords and buyers/renters using PropertyZoom are genuine. However, as with any online marketplace, a small number of fraudsters may try to trick people into handing over personal details or money. Here are our top tips:

• Never pay a holding deposit, deposit or rent by bank transfer before you have viewed a property in person (or via a verified video viewing) and verified the identity of the landlord or agent.
• Be cautious of "too good to be true" prices — unusually low rent or sale prices relative to similar local properties are a common warning sign.
• Deal with agents and landlords through PropertyZoom's messaging tools where possible, rather than moving straight to personal email, WhatsApp, or text.
• Never send money to someone who claims to be abroad and cannot show you the property in person.
• Verify an agent's credentials. Legitimate UK letting and estate agents should belong to a government-approved redress scheme (such as The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme), which independently resolves disputes between agents and consumers.
• Check the listing details carefully. Be wary of listings with only one or two photos, or photos that appear to be reused stock images.
• Trust your instincts. If something about a listing, message, or request for payment feels wrong, pause and verify before proceeding.

What PropertyZoom will never ask you for

We will never contact you by email, phone, social media, or text message asking you to:

• Confirm your PropertyZoom account password
• Send money directly to "PropertyZoom" to secure a viewing or listing
• Provide your full bank card details or online banking login via email or message

If you are contacted by someone claiming to represent PropertyZoom and asking for any of the above, please do not respond and report it to us immediately at contact@property-zoom.com.

Common scams to watch out for

• Fake listings for properties that don't exist, aren't actually available, or aren't owned/managed by the person advertising them.
• Overseas landlord scams, where a "landlord" claims to be abroad and asks for money to be wired before any viewing takes place.
• Phishing emails or texts that impersonate PropertyZoom and ask you to click a link and log in, in order to steal your account credentials.
• Upfront fee scams, where you're asked to pay an administration, referencing, or "holding" fee that is unusually high or requested through an untraceable payment method (e.g. gift cards or cryptocurrency).
• Fake agent profiles impersonating real, established agencies in order to appear credible.

How to spot a fake advert, email or message

• Poor spelling, grammar, or generic greetings ("Dear Customer")
• Pressure to act quickly, or urgency created around a limited-time "deal"
• Requests to communicate and pay outside of PropertyZoom or the agent's official channels
• Sender email addresses that don't match the official domain of PropertyZoom or the advertising agent
• Requests for payment via bank transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency before any viewing

Other types of fraud

Fraudsters may also use fake calls, texts, or malicious attachments/links that install malware on your device. If you receive a suspicious communication, do not click any links or download any attachments. You can find further guidance on current fraud tactics from Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk) and cyber security guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (ncsc.gov.uk).

Reporting a concern

If you believe you have encountered a fraudulent listing, been contacted by someone impersonating PropertyZoom, or think you may have been the victim of a scam connected to our Platform, please contact us straight away at contact@property-zoom.com. Where appropriate, you should also report the matter to Action Fraud or your local police force.