How to avoid rental scams

When tenants are seeking out available rental properties in their area, there are a variety of places to search for them. While you can search through company websites, people are increasingly finding rentals on social platforms such as Facebook, or on sites like Craigslist. It can be all too easy for scammers to list properties that they do not own, convincing unknowing applicants to pay fees or deposits. Below we share a few ways that you can avoid rental scams online, and find the property that is the best fit for you.

Be mindful of the sites you use to find properties

Most commonly, we see scams existing on sites like Facebook (specifically on Facebook Marketplace) and Craigslist. Because it is so easy for anyone to make a profile or post a listing, it is fairly easy for scammers to do the same with fake properties.

While you are less likely to run into scams on sites such as Zillow, Aparments.com or Trulia, they aren’t automatically immune from scammers. For this reason, no matter where you find the listing, you should be on the lookout for false information or scams. 

It’s always a good idea to look for water marks on images to see if they match the company name or website listed. You can also enter the address of the property into the search bar to see if it matches up with Google Maps, or other site’s listings. Often, a property owner or property management company will list the property on several sites. Searching should reveal several listings where you can double check information to ensure it all matches up.

Call them before making anything official

Before paying an application fee, deposit, or filling out any paperwork with personal information, it’s in your best interest to give the company a call. If you have found the property outside of the company website, try to find the official business page and confirm the number on the listing and the company numbers match up. It is in your best interest to trust the phone number on the company website, if they do not match. Calling in can potentially help you catch the scam before it happens.

You can view our article, how to vet a property management company, here. This article is geared towards property owners, but can apply to vetting companies as a tenant as well, and can highlight red flags. Some tips include noting how responsive they are to you. If they’re difficult to get ahold of, it’s a different person on the phone each time, or they’re not good at returning calls or emails, they’re probably not a company you want to rent from, whether it is a scam or not.

If they do contact you via email, review the email address. Businesses will typically have the company name in their email, and a first or last name. Scammers may use a random combination of letters or numbers, or use a generic domain, like Gmail or Yahoo.

Visit the property prior to making any decisions

Visiting the property prior to signing a lease or paying any deposits will also help reduce the chances that it is a scam. If a property declines to allow you to view the property prior to signing a lease or moving in, it is best to move on.

Even if it is not a scam, visiting the property can help avoid moving into a damaged or unclean unit, or anything being misrepresented. Additionally, it provides the opportunity to confirm that all of the listed appliances and amenities are truly there and functional.

If it looks too good to be true, follow up on it

Many scams are effective at getting applicants because the monthly rental payments are much lower than other local properties of the same or comparable quality. If you have a general idea of the local rental price ranges, be wary of any properties that appear be significantly cheaper than other, similar rental properties in the area.  If it’s too good to be true, it just might be!

If you take a few extra steps, avoiding rental scams online can be easier than you may think! It’s always in your best interest to research the company, find reviews of the property/company if available, and visit the property in person. I