How To Avoid Rental Scams | How To Report A Rental Scammer | Houston Texas
Today, we'll talk about an eye opener topic, which most people take for granted. Rental scams? For sure, sometime in your life, you have either leased or rented an apartment or a home. Before we use to find them in newspapers or yard signs. Now we find them mostly ONLINE. We use our phones to search sometimes. We go to popular sites like Zillow, craigslist and other free rental sites. Today, we will talk about how to avoid rental scams? What are the warnings signs that you are being scammed and how to report a rental scammer?
tip #1 - investigate further. tip #2...make sure to ask the fraudster if he /she can open the property for you. tip #3- if they are asking money upfront or if they ask money without you viewing the property, then that is a potential red flag. If they screen you, but with NO fees of course, then that is fine.
tip #4 - compare prices. Usually you can check the typical market lease price for a particular city. If the average lease price is $1500/month and the house that you like is $1000/month, then that is definitely a red flag.
tip #5 you pay, make sure not to pay using cash, wire transfers or gift card. Usually, legitimate rentals ask for cashier's check payable to a certain individual and or a brokerage company.
tip #6 - once you found the property and you think it is going very well, another thing to check is to make sure to sign a written lease. No verbal or oral lease agreement here. Everything should be signed and documented. Wait, before you sign, make sure to verify the landlord or the owner of the property. The way to do this is by checking the tax records or public documents.
tip #7 - check if the agreement has you sub-leasing the property. Not a lot of landlords are allowing this arrangement so be wary if the scammer is asking you to sign a sub-lease agreement. This is a potential red flag.
tip #9 - scammers sometimes do not do credit or background check and or rushes at everything. They Rush you to sign a lease and pay application fee and security deposit.
Last but not the least - if ALL utilities are included as part of the lease, this may be another sign that it might be a scam. Do not get me wrong, there are apartment or rentals with utilities included..again this is only one sign that you can be mindful of.
How do you report a rental scammer? Below are a few simple steps: Call the police and give them the details. Call the FTC or federal trade commission. There toll-free hotline is 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). Fill in their FTC online complaint form You can also file a complaint on the Internet Crime Complaint Center Also contact your attorney or legal advisor who can assist. Leave a negative review on the website where you saw the ad post to make sure that nobody else will be a victim.
**Jennifer Yoingco is a full time licensed Texas REALTOR (#648293) with Walzel Properties, LLC. She has been helping first time home buyers, experienced buyers and sellers search homes for sale, houses for sale in the greater Houston area (serving Houston, Tomball, Spring, The Woodlands, Cypress, Conroe, Magnolia, Sugarland, Richmond, and the surrounding cities). She negotiates to the clients' advantage by using cutting edge digital marketing technology. She is teamed with marketing professionals who can showcase the home to the best advantage. Contact her for any real estate needs. Email: [email protected] (832)286-8636**
