I am going to run a series of articles on how to avoid being parted from your money fraudulently when trying to rent a property. There are plenty of schemes out there, but underlying all will be human greed or desperation. Most people who fall for a scam can’t believe that they fell for it afterwards, & are often ashamed to tell people how stupid they were. Sadly we all do it, & the golden rule to keep in mind is that if it seems too good to be true – then it is too good to be true.
We used to have a “free month” offer. It seemed good marketing – in our adverts we would lead with “Free” & offer tenants a free month – if they signed up for a 12 month tenancy & paid the 11 months on time they would get the 12th month free. It seemed a good idea, we win, they win. We don’t do it anymore because it was just too time consuming explaining to people that no, they couldn’t just come for the free month. There is no such thing as a free lunch.
I will run through the publicised scams over the next few weeks, but you will protect yourself by just being aware. If you are dealing with a reputable Landlord or Agent they will behave in a fairly predictable way. They may be cautious (Landlords get scammed too!), but look for accountability. Free adverts on Gumtree or Craigslist cost nothing, a free Hotmail eMail account can be set up in seconds. A landlord or agent who rents a flat ought to have a website, an office, an address, somewhere permanent where they can be held accountable. If they live abroad, are away on business, have a death/illness in the family, can’t meet, Run Forest Run.
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