College students seeking accommodation have been warned about bogus letting agents attempting to scam money from prospective tenants.
The Property Services Regulatory Authority (PSRA) said it had been made aware of a number of bogus agents operating mainly online and purporting to have a PRSA licence number.
It said all letting agents, auctioneers, estate agents and management agents operating in the Republic of Ireland must hold a PSRA licence to provide a property service.
Unlicensed letting agents, auctioneers, estate agents and management agents
were breaking the law and did not provide any consumer protection, it added.
PSRA chief executive Maeve Hogan said the recent reports regarding bogus letting agents were "a matter of grave concern" for the authority.
“The month of August is a time when students are starting or returning to college or university and a higher number of lettings take place. Students seeking to rent accommodation are strongly advised to exercise vigilance to ensure they do not fall foul of bogus letting agents and are not using an unlicensed operator,” Ms Hogan said.
The authority said it was advisable to ask the property service provider to show their licence, which they are obliged to have available for inspection.
The individual PRSA licence is a credit card-sized licence that has the licensee name, photographic identification and a unique, 12-digit licence number.
A public register of licensed property services providers is available on the authority’s website at prsa.ie, and the validity of a licence can be checked there.
The register displays the licensee name and licence number, and the PRSA said it was important to check that both the name and number of the agent a person was in contact with corresponded with the details on the register.
Under the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011, a person, other than a licensee, who provides such a service or advertises such a service where they do not have a licence is guilty of an offence. They may be fined up to €5,000 on summary conviction or jailed for up to 12 months, or both.
If convicted on indictment, a person guilty of such an offence may be fined or jailed for up to five years, or both.
The authority also said if anyone was in any doubt as to whether a letting agent was licensed, they should contact it at 046 9033800 or email info@psra.ie