The process of finding a home to rent can be a time of high anxiety coupled with impending deadlines. The sheer logistics of finding a new home and subsequent move can be daunting, especially in a hot rental market like Portland, Oregon. In the rush of it all, the red flags of ever more sophisticated and brazen rental scams can be easy to miss.
According to a recent survey by Apartmentlist.com, 43% of renters had encountered or fallen prey to a rental scam. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) there has been an estimated $37 million in losses associated with potential rental scams. Fortunately, it is relatively simple to avoid scammers.
Know the Red Flags:
- The owner is out of town, and you cannot see the unit in person before sending money.
- A “for sale” sign in the yard.
- The alleged owner or property manager asks you to pay through Western Union, MoneyGram, Cash App, or a gift card. No legitimate business gets paid this way.
- The rent advertised is well below market rates.
- Emails contain odd phrasing, grammatical, and spelling errors
- Messages will often profess a strong religious faith, suggesting that they are moral and trustworthy
- Multiple listings of the same property for different rents
If you think you have found a scam listing:
- Run a web search for the home’s street address to see if there are multiple listings for the home. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Contact the owner or property manager of the home and let them know about the scam.
- Submit a claim the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker
- Contact you local Police Department’s non-emergency line
- Contact the Federal Trade Commission at gov/complaint or by calling 877-FTC-HELP
Being aware and informed as you look for a new home is your best defense against scammers. Working with a reputable property management company or landlord is the safest way to secure housing for yourself. After all, filing police reports for lost deposits is not a step any of us need in our next move.