Real, edited or made by AI? · what the photo file says about itself
Summary Choose a photo saved from a rental advert. This page reads what the file says about itself — the camera, the date, the editing software, and any label saying it was made or changed by AI — on your own device. Then you can search for copies of it on other sites. It cannot prove a photo is real; it shows you what is there to see.
Full explanation
What it reads. Most photos carry hidden details written by the camera or phone: the make and model, when it was taken, and sometimes where. Editing apps add their own name. AI image tools from Adobe, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and others are meant to label their pictures — either with a “digital source type” tag saying the image was made by AI, or with Content Credentials (also called C2PA), a signed record of how the picture was made and changed.
What it can’t do. Listing sites usually strip these details when an agent uploads a photo, and a screenshot never has them. So “nothing found” is normal and tells you nothing either way. Details can also be faked or removed by anyone who wants to. Treat what you find as a clue, then look at the photo yourself and ask the agent.
Copies elsewhere. The search buttons open Google, TinEye or Bing so you can look for the same photo on other sites — a common sign of a scam advert. Sending the photo there is your choice; this page sends nothing.
Nothing leaves your device. The photo is read in this browser tab and forgotten when you close it.
or drag them here, or paste one (Ctrl+V)
Save the photo, don’t screenshot it. On a computer, right-click the picture in the advert and choose Save image as. On a phone, press and hold the picture and choose Download image or Save to Photos. A screenshot or copy-and-paste makes a new picture with none of the original details.
Try the agent’s own website. The big listing sites strip photo details on upload. If a letting agent is advertising the home, look the agent up: if their own website lists the same property, save the photos from there. Smaller sites are much less likely to strip the details, so the check has more to go on.
Search for copies of a photo
Scam adverts often reuse photos of a real home from another listing, sometimes in another town. Copy a photo with the button on its card, or use its web address, then search.
Google LensTinEyeBingOpens the site. Paste the photo there (Ctrl+V) or use its upload button.
What to look for in the photo itself
Lines that should be straightDoor frames, skirting boards, tile grout, window bars and worktop edges that bend, wobble or don’t meet up.
Things that don’t workRadiators with no pipes, no sockets or light switches anywhere, taps with no sink, doors that lead nowhere, a mirror that reflects the wrong thing.
Smeared small detailsText on books, labels, cooker dials, plug sockets and door handles that turn to mush when you zoom in.
Too perfectGlossy, magazine-like rooms with light from everywhere and no shadows, no clutter, no wear on the carpet — and nothing that matches the rent.
Furniture that meltsChair legs that merge into the floor, a sofa that runs into the wall, a bed with no legs. AI “virtual staging” adds furniture that isn’t there.
Heavy editingA bright blue sky in a dull-lit photo, a very wide lens that makes a box room look like a lounge, stains or damp patches painted out, a garden that is greener than the rest of the street.
The same photo elsewhereThe same pictures on another advert at another address or rent. Use the search buttons above.
Nothing that ties it to the addressNo view from a window, no front of the building, nothing you can match on a street map.
What to ask the agent
“Are all the photos of this property, and when were they taken?”
“Have any of the photos been virtually staged, retouched or made with AI?” Furniture added by computer is fine if they tell you; hiding damp or damage is not.
“Can I view it in person, or on a live video call, before I pay anything?” Never pay a holding deposit for a home nobody will let you see.
Ask in writing (email or message), so you have their answer if the home turns out different.
Letting agents and landlords must not mislead you about a property under consumer protection law. A misleading photo can be raised with the agent’s redress scheme or reported to Trading Standards. See the advert was wrong and I paid money and it was a scam.
Being honest about what this can tell you
“Nothing found” proves nothing. Most of the big listing sites strip photo details, and anyone can remove them. An agent’s own website is more likely to leave them in. A real photo and an AI one can look the same here once the details are gone.
Camera details can be faked. They are a good sign, not proof. An AI picture very rarely has them by accident.
Content Credentials are read, not verified. This page shows what the credentials say, including who signed them, but it does not check the signature. For a full check, the Content Authenticity Initiative runs a checker at contentcredentials.org/verify (you would be giving them the photo).
Invisible watermarks can’t be checked here. Google marks its AI pictures with SynthID, a watermark hidden in the pixels themselves. Only Google can read it — its Gemini app can tell you if a picture you give it was made with Google AI. Other companies have their own hidden marks.
Your eyes and the agent’s answers count most. A viewing in person beats any check on a photo.
Savvy Renter — savvyrenter.co.uk · free tools for renters ·
Everything on this page happens on your device. No photo is uploaded or sent anywhere unless you choose to search for it.
* Beta. This page is new and still being tested. It reads the details stored in a photo file and shows what they say; it cannot tell you for certain whether a photo is real, edited or made by AI, and it does not check Content Credentials signatures. If something looks wrong, ask the agent and view the property before paying anything.