Qasa has been created to guarantee a safer and smoother experience for both tenants and landlords in the rental market. This guide explains what we do to create a secure marketplace and what you can do to feel safe!
How Qasa combats fraud
Your safety is at the core of why and how we developed Qasa. Below, you can read about how we structured our service to make the rental market a safe, fraud-free experience:
All landlords are verified
To publish a listing on Qasa, ID verification is mandatory. This means that posting ads anonymously is not possible, making it much more challenging for fraudsters to deceive housing seekers. As long as you do not share your contact information and use Qasa's chat to communicate with landlords, you can feel secure.
Secure deposits
If you choose to sign an agreement through Qasa's digital lease, all payments will go through our partner Keyhole. Sometimes, this means you may not need to pay a deposit at all. If you still need to pay a deposit, Keyhole will set up a deposit account, and the deposit will be kept there until the rental period is over.
Safe rental payments
Similarly, if you sign an agreement through Qasa's digital lease, all payments will go through Qasa's partners, and Qasa will invoice you on behalf of the landlord. For instance, the landlord will never receive any payment until after you have moved into the property. In the unlikely event that you have been in contact with a fraudster who attempted to deceive you with a non-existent property, you will notice it before any rent payment is sent.
As long as you pay all your rents through Qasa and its partners (see below) and not directly to the landlord's account, you can feel secure!
Essential safety tips
Qasa, together with its partnering marketplace owned by Vend, is the largest transactional marketplace for rental properties, with over 5 million housing applications each year. While this is fantastic, it also means that fraudsters may attempt to find ways around our security systems. It is essential for you to be aware of how to best protect yourself and stay vigilant.
Here are some crucial things to keep in mind:
Never make payments outside Qasa
If your landlord offers you a discount for paying rent directly into their bank account, be cautious and do not accept the offer. Only by using Qasa's digital lease and safely managing your payments through our systems can we protect you from fraudsters.
If a landlord requests financial information or asks for direct payments to their bank account, report it immediately to Qasa.
Qasa's invoices and payments via Keyhole
After signing the lease agreement, you will receive a deposit invoice via email within a few hours. All invoices from Qasa on behalf of the landlord, and all payments, go through our partner keyhole.
If a landlord requests your bank account or card details, inform Qasa immediately. Never send payments to any other account numbers or via services like Skrill, Trustly, or any other payment provider.
Be cautious of suspicious emails and web addresses
All official email communications from Qasa end with @qasa.com, or @scrive.com. Double-check the sender's email address before responding to any payment-related emails.