Marked up, not just scored.
The check marks what to worry about and what to ask about, and says why. Pick a listing and see.
Room for rent, Portello area, 5 minutes from the Engineering department
Bright single room in a quiet flat, €280 a month, all bills included1. Available from 1 November.
I am working abroad at the moment, so I cannot show the room2, but my friend will give you the keys by courier as soon as the deposit is paid3. The first person to send the deposit gets the room4. Please write only here.
Deposit: two months. Send it today to reserve5, to this account: ES91 •••• •••• ••6
- Price, a concern. The total cost sits far below the reference range for the area. Cheap rooms exist, so this only supports the other signs.
- Language, a concern. An owner abroad who cannot show the room. A genuine landlord can say the same sentence.
- Process, an alert. Access to the room only after the deposit. Ask for a viewing, in person or on a live video call, before you pay.
- Language, a concern. Urgency framed as competition: the first to pay wins.
- Process, an alert. Money asked before you can see the room.
- Payment, a concern. A foreign IBAN. It is valid, which says it exists, not who holds it.
High risk. Score 15 out of 100.
Two alerts. The score uses first-guess weights; the band is the verdict. Address and contract: nothing to read.
Room in a shared flat, Arcella, near the tram line
€390 a month plus about €60 bills, split by use. Deposit: one month1. Three flatmates: two PhD students and a nurse.
Written contract through the agency, 12 months, and you can register your address2. Viewings on Saturday morning or by video call3.
Write to me here or call after 6 pm. Please say when you would arrive and for how long you need the room.
- Address and contract, clear. A deposit of one month is a normal ask.
- Address and contract, clear. A written contract, and the possibility to register.
- Process, clear. You can see the room before you pay.
No red flags found.
That is not the same as safe: it means none of the checks fired. Price: nothing to compare yet. Payment: nothing to read.
Both listings are invented for this preview.
Send the listing. We do the rest.
Send
Fill in the form with the text of the post, and your messages with the advertiser if you have them. Remove names and phone numbers first.
We read the signs
The author reads it with the published method: five readings, each one shown on its own. Nobody is contacted.
You decide
You get an email within 24 hours. A serious red flag is always free. The full report adds the reasons with quotes and what to ask next.
The five readings
Language and messages. The scripts that repeat: an owner abroad, keys by courier, “first to pay”.
Price against the area. The total monthly cost against a reference range. A supporting sign only.
Payment instructions. Any IBAN or payment method you were asked to use. Gift cards, crypto and cash by courier are flagged.
Address and contract. The basics of a normal tenancy: written contract, deposit, registration.
Process. Can you see the room, in person or on a live video call, and read the contract before you pay?
What we can’t tell you
We don’t check who owns the flat. We don’t read photos yet: a reverse image search takes a minute, and we show you how.
A clean result means none of the checks fired. It is not a guarantee.
Free to look. €5 to act.
The free check spots the signs. The report tells you what to do about them.
Free alert
Any listing you send.
If we see a serious red flag, you hear it for free, with the reason, by email within 24 hours.
Send a listingFull report
One listing, one report.
What we found with quotes, the questions to ask, and a message ready to send in Italian and English.
Get the full report30-day pass
Coming soon. No automatic renewal.
Unlimited full reports for 30 days, chat analysis and your arrival plan for Padova.
See all plansWe will never call a room safe.
Anyone who promises you that is the last person to hand a deposit to. The best result we can give is “no red flags found”, and that is not the same as a genuine landlord. A serious red flag is always free: judge us before you pay us.
When you need a person, not a score.
Some problems need someone who can act. These are not us.
Sportello Affitti. Advice and legal support in cases of fraud, discrimination and unfair contracts. Via Stratico 4a, Padova. Open Tuesday and Wednesday, 16:00 to 20:00. sportelloaffitti.padova@gmail.com. Listed on the University of Padova’s housing page for international students.
Cerco Alloggio, the University’s International Housing Office. Furnished apartments in Padova and nearby provinces, and help for enrolled international students with the private market: advice, leases translated into English, paperwork. housing@unipd.it · cercoalloggio.com/padova
HousingAnywhere. An international rooms platform that the University lists for its students, with a 20% discount on its fee. The University’s Erasmus page and HousingAnywhere’s own help pages both say that the payment is passed to the landlord 48 hours after your move-in date. Read its terms before you book. The University’s link
If you have already paid. Keep every message and the proof of payment. Report it to the Polizia Postale, the police unit for online crimes. Its website, commissariatodips.it, has a form to start a report (“Denuncia per reati telematici”), which you then formalise at the office you choose, and the offices where you can go in person. In an emergency, call 112 or 113.
Taken from the University’s page and the Polizia Postale website on 27 October 2026. Hours and contacts can change: check before you go.
Questions, answered honestly.
What is free and what is paid?
A serious red flag is always free, with the reason, by email. The full report, with the readings and quotes, the questions to ask and the message ready to send, costs €5.
How long does it take?
The author reads each listing and replies by email, within 24 hours. In the test phase there is no instant check.
Can you promise a listing is genuine?
No, and we never will. It is a risk signal. A well-written scam can slip through and an honest landlord can be flagged. View the room, read the contract and pay only by traceable bank transfer.
Do you check who owns the flat?
No. We do not look up owners and we do not introduce you to landlords. We read what is in the text you paste.
Does it work on Facebook posts?
Yes. Paste the text of the post in the form, and your messages if you have them.
Is it only for students from abroad?
No. It was made with them in mind, but a room in Padova can be a scam for anyone, from Taranto as much as from Tunis.
How is this different from asking in the group?
The group is fast when someone answers and silent when nobody does. This reads every listing the same way and shows its reasons. Ask the group as well.
What happens to my data?
Please remove names and phone numbers before you send. Your email and the listing text are used only for this test and deleted within 30 days after it ends. The text is read with the help of an AI service: the privacy page says which. You need no account. Privacy
Made in Padova, by a student.
This is a solo project and it is in a test phase. If it works, with the help of the people who use it, it can become something real and useful for anyone renting a room here.
It is not an official service and it is not connected to the University of Padova.
Check it before you pay.
Send the listing and read the signs within 24 hours. The alert is free.
Send a listing: free alert