When searching for a rental property, be aware of scammers who might try to take your money. You may find listings that look too good to be true. Common places you will find them are on websites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Zillow. Too often these listings really are too good to be true, but you can be on the lookout by watching for these common signs of a rental scam.
First, The landlord doesn’t want to meet you in person. They may offer various reasons such as being out of the country or too busy to meet in person. You may be advised to go to the house to view it and look in the windows. This is almost certainly a scam.
Second, the landlord will want you to pay all or part of the rent and/or deposit in advance. They may even ask you to wire money. This is also a scam.
Third, the landlord will say that the property is available for a very low price. You might see reasons such as the owner being in a hurry to leave the country or needing to rent it out quickly because of an emergency. This is again, most likely, a scam.
Another red flag is if the landlord doesn’t require a credit check or other standard rental application process. They may say that they trust you and just need the money. This is a bad sign.
Finally, the landlord may ask you to wire money and they’ll send the keys by mail. Again, this is a scam.
If you see any of these red flags, it’s best to steer clear and look for another property. There are plenty of legitimate landlords out there who won’t try to scam you. Do your research and take your time when looking for a place to rent. It’s better to be safe than sorry!