← All guidesTrust & scams · 4 min read
Written by CribCheck, reviewed by the CribCheck inspection team. Last reviewed 18 September 2026.
Part of How to verify a landlord or estate agent before paying rent
Short answer
Paying a registered agency's business account can be normal where the agent holds written authority to collect. Paying an individual's personal account is where money disappears. Always match the account name to the landlord or the registered agency, insist on a receipt naming the landlord, and transfer rather than pay cash.
Safer payment practice
- Transfer, so there is a record. Avoid cash entirely where you can.
- Confirm the account name before transferring, and screenshot the confirmation.
- Pay the rent to the landlord and the agency fee to the agency, separately.
- Collect a receipt in the landlord's name for rent, and a receipt from the agency for its fee.
- Keep the agreement, the authority letter and every receipt together.
Stop if
- The account name is unrelated to both landlord and agency.
- You are told the landlord's account has a problem and to use someone else's.
- The amount or account changes at the last minute.
- You are pushed to pay before the agreement is signed.
What to do next
Check this home with CribCheck while you are still there. Record what you see, get a condition score with indicative repair costs, and keep it to compare against other homes.
Before you pay, CribCheck it.
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