Renting sight-unseen — did it work out or would you never again?

I've done it several times as a nomad. My rules: only through a reputable platform with protections, never wire a deposit to a private individual before a video walkthrough, and treat the first booking as short-term so a bad choice isn't a year-long trap.

I'd never sign a long lease sight-unseen again. What I do now is book a month somewhere decent remotely, then flat-hunt properly in person once I'm on the ground. The short-term bridge is worth the premium.

OP here — 'short-term first, hunt in person after' is clearly the consensus and it's what I'll tell my friend. Signing a year off a video call is where the horror stories come from.

If you must commit remotely, get someone you trust to view it for you — a relocation agent, a colleague, even a paid local 'viewer'. A real human in the actual room catches what photos hide.

The scam risk is the big one. If a 'landlord' pressures you to pay fast, refuses a live video call, or the price is too good — walk away. Sight-unseen is exactly the situation fraudsters target.

With a family, sight-unseen felt too risky, so we spent the first three weeks in serviced accommodation and viewed properly. More expensive up front, but choosing the kids' home and school area in person was worth every penny.

Check the neighbourhood on a map and street view at different times, and search the exact address — sometimes the 'quiet flat' backs onto a motorway or a nightclub the photos carefully avoided.

It worked out fine for me twice and badly once, and the bad one was the cheapest and most rushed. My takeaway: the pressure to decide fast is the enemy, not the sight-unseen part itself.