Beware Of Rental Fraud When Looking For A Place To Rent
Posted on: 4 January 2016
If you are in the market for a new apartment to rent, you should be aware of rental fraud, which is a newer type of scam being used often today. This basis of this scam is that people rent apartments and homes to others when they do not actually even own the units. If you end up being deceived in this way, you could end up losing a lot of money. Here are two important things to know about rental fraud that.
How It Happens
When homes or apartments are vacant for any reason, scammers might break into these units and act like they are theirs. This typically happens with foreclosed homes, but it can happen to any type of unit that is vacant, especially if the bank owns it. If no one is checking in on homes or apartments that are vacant, scammers can easily fool people that are looking for places to rent.
The scammers will often change the locks on the homes and may even clean them up a little. They will then look for people that need places to rent. They will advertise on classified ad sites and social media sites, and they will meet prospective tenants to show them the units.
In some cases, rental fraud can also occur when a current tenant acts as though he or she owns the place. The tenant will collect rent and a security deposit from a person that wants to move in, and then the tenant will vacate the property, taking the money with him or her. The new tenant will then try to get in and will not be able to.
These are a few examples of how rental fraud can occur, but there are ways to avoid falling into a scam like this.
How To Avoid It
Falling victim to rental fraud could be a costly event in your life, but you can avoid this problem. The best way to avoid this is by looking for a house or apartment for rent through a reputable property management firm in your area. By doing this, you can be certain that the person renting the unit actually owns it and has the right to rent it out to you.
This scam is becoming more popular today; however, you do not have to lose money over it or waste your time with it. Contact a property management firm in your area today to begin looking for the right apartment to rent.
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