by: Chris Wechner
You might be cruising around the Internet looking for a place to rent. Finally, you found the perfect place. You like the area. The rent is a pretty good deal, and the utilities are included. Wow! You’ve got to see this place–today!
There is a scam that takes wrongly takes advantage of people who simply want to find a place to live.
Just because someone has the keys to a place doesn’t mean they have the right to rent it. That doesn’t mean there aren’t people trying to take your money without owning the property.
The deal is too good, and you don’t want to risk losing it to someone else. So you give the person showing you the home money to secure it immediately.
This is risky!
Here are a few tips:
1. Pay the first month’s rent and security deposit with a check–not cash.
2. Check to see whether the person owns the property.
3. Talk with neighbors around the place you want to live. They might be able to tell you something that the “landlord” is not willing to share with you. Do this before visiting the property.
4. Ask the landlord for references from his or her other tenants–past or current. Ask what is good and bad about this person for a landlord. Force both; otherwise, it’s too easy for fake landlords to line up people in advance.
Most people are honest. Unfortunately, enough is happening that you should be on guard. These tips are not surefire, but they should help protect you from obvious con artists.
About The Author
If you would like to learn more, you can contact Section 8 Pros at (248) 757-0926 or go to www.Section8Pros.com. Section 8 Pros helps landlords and tenants meet each other’s needs, focusing primarily on the Detroit city and surrounding areas. They help out of town investors keep their properties productive.
