There is a growing need in Russia to create an official online housing rental service that will verify the documents of the parties before the transaction. This was stated by the Deputy Chairman of the Council for the Development of the Digital Economy under the Federation Council, Artyom Sheikin.
According to him, real estate fraud has become a serious problem. In 2024, more than 30,000 fraud reports were registered in major cities of the country in rental and purchase of housing. Those who are looking for apartments without the help of realtors or do not conduct proper legal verification are especially vulnerable.
It is necessary to create an official online service through which it will be possible to rent housing with verification of documents, identities of the parties and a safe transaction.
Sheikin noted that fraudsters use various schemes to deceive tenants. They may require prepayment for booking accommodation or access to a real estate database, after which they disappear. There are cases when the same apartment is rented to several tenants simultaneously.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, tens of thousands of cases of fraud related to real estate are recorded annually. In some regions, fraudulent schemes have become real businesses involving groups of people and even unscrupulous employees of real estate agencies.
The senator believes that the main reasons for such situations are the low level of legal literacy of citizens and the lack of a unified system for verifying landlords. He stressed that losing money or housing is not just a personal problem, but a wake-up call for society.
Sheikin called for the creation of a system that will protect tenants and ensure the security of transactions. He is confident that it is necessary to change the approach to regulating the market so that no family or student becomes a victim of fraud.
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