There are other hazards too for students seeking accommodation. One I heard of was a girl who answered an ad pinned to a college notice board , of a room to let in a "shared flat". When she had viewed it and asked the price, the owner (adult man, not a student) replied that it was free if she would drop her knickers.
Another first-hand story was from a girl who went to see a room in a tenement flat. She took a friend (male) with her as insurance and was glad that she had. After pressing the doorbell and being admitted by remote control, they climbed the stairs. Someone was visible on an upstairs landing, but on hearing the male voice he vanished and they heard a door being closed. They reached the door, rang the bell and it was opened. The man who answered seemed flustered but showed her a room (obviously a child's room with short bed and clothes and toys around, and curtains drawn closed) His explanation was that it was daughter's room but she was only there weekends. She didn't like the vibes at all, so they left. On the way out they noticed that on the table near the door lay a gun. On her own she would have been threatened with the gun if she wouldn't co-operate.