Scams can happen when you look for apartments that don't do credit checks. Scams come in a few different forms. People can take a real rental listing and change the contact information to their own to get you to give them your information, or they can make a whole fake rental listing to trick you.
"As a general rule," Zrimsek says, "it's a good idea to use reputable internet listing services." "Don't believe everything you read on Craigslist or Facebook. Always check out a unit in person."
Zrimsek says that you should do your own research if you want to rent from a private landlord. Try to find out who owns the building and anything else you can about the landlord. "If there's no information or it's bad, you should stay away," he says.
The Federal Trade Commission warns about these warning signs:
Trying to get money before you sign a lease
Saying they are in another country
Motola says that if the person advertising the apartment tries to skip ahead in the process, that's a big sign that it's a scam. "For example, if the Realtor asks you to sign something before you see the apartment" or "to put money down before you sign a lease."
Before you sign a lease, keep in mind that landlords can charge application fees to check your credit. Depending on where the apartment is, this amount may be capped.
The FTC says that if you think you're the victim of a rental scam, you should tell your local police, the FTC, and the website where the fake ad was posted.
"As a general rule," Zrimsek says, "it's a good idea to use reputable internet listing services." "Don't believe everything you read on Craigslist or Facebook. Always check out a unit in person."
Zrimsek says that you should do your own research if you want to rent from a private landlord. Try to find out who owns the building and anything else you can about the landlord. "If there's no information or it's bad, you should stay away," he says.
The Federal Trade Commission warns about these warning signs:
Trying to get money before you sign a lease
Saying they are in another country
Motola says that if the person advertising the apartment tries to skip ahead in the process, that's a big sign that it's a scam. "For example, if the Realtor asks you to sign something before you see the apartment" or "to put money down before you sign a lease."
Before you sign a lease, keep in mind that landlords can charge application fees to check your credit. Depending on where the apartment is, this amount may be capped.
The FTC says that if you think you're the victim of a rental scam, you should tell your local police, the FTC, and the website where the fake ad was posted.
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