4 Golden Rules when Renting a London Flat

Nick Parkin

A reminder from our series of articles about flat scams – there are plenty of fraud 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.

We ran a series on the common scams in detail and will publish some reminders in the next few blogs, 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.

When looking for a flat to rent follow the 4 Pimlico Flats Golden Rules

Simple Advice:

Be aware, alert, streetwise
If it seems too good to be true – then it is too good to be true.
Scammers have a “signature” that you can recognise
Reputable Landlords and Letting Agents have a “signature” that you can recognise

Tags: Fraud, Rent, Scam
Posted in Renting on November 22nd, 2009 |

Pimlico Flats Denies MP’s London Flats Rent Scandal

The Parliament of the United Kingdom, the 'Mot...

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Because of recent and extensive press comment Pimlico Flats would like to issue a clear denial.

After extensive cheques checks we confirm that we do not currently rent to MPs, Ministers, or members of the Shadow Cabinet.

Further we can say that we have never knowingly rented to MPs, Ministers, or members of the Shadow Cabinet, and it would not be our company policy to do so. We have checks in place including taking employers references, that should preclude such an unfortunate occurrence.

We do admit that our flats might be considered prime targets for politician’s accommodation, being within the Division Bell and 8 mins walk from the Houses of Parliament, however we would like to point out that our flats offer excellent value for money, generally renting for less than £1000 pcm and that this fact alone should be enough to deter most MPs who, whilst attracted to the high standards of finish and furnishing, would generally be looking for flats of much higher expense claiming potential.

Pimlico Flats offer for rent Central London flats of excellent value. We do not provide expensive property for expense claims.

Tags: Flats, Fraud, London, Rent, SW1, Westminster
Posted in General on May 10th, 2009 |

The London Crime Map November 2008

The London Mayor has launched a tool to help us determine where the best places to live are. As we boldly declare that Pimlico Flats are one of the safest & most crime free places to live in London this has been of great interest to us, & here is our view of the initial map of crime.

An examination of the whole of London reveals that all boroughs have an average crime level with the exceptions of Islington, & Camden who have an Above average level, & Westminster where crime is High. My initial reaction to this is one of alarm! Sober consideration of the statistics (one standard deviation represents above average, two represents high) makes me note that nowhere is below average, so these statistics are pretty similar everywhere. Having said that, it still contradicts my subjective opinion that Pimlico Flats are in a crime free area – we haven’t had a crime since …….. well, we haven’t had a burgulary for 8 years (I was targetted personally by someone who knew me under the mistaken belief that our business keeps cash on the premises), & there was a well publicised mugging of Michael Howard’s wife when she went shopping (smart mugger – attack someone with armed police protection!) & that probably summarises the crime in Pimlico for this Century! So why does Westminster come out so high?

Well as you drill down the map you see that Pimlico Flats are in an Average Crime Ward, & when drilling down to the Sub-Ward we are in an Average Sub-Ward. The High crime rates occur in the adjoining Sub-Wards where all the shops are. So the next port of call is to examine the actual statistics – the devil is in the detail, but remember

“Lies, damned lies, and statistics” is part of a phrase attributed to Benjamin Disraeli and popularised in the United States by Mark Twain: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” The statement refers to the persuasive power of numbers, the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments, and the tendency of people to disparage statistics that do not support their positions.

When you look at the actual crimes you will find that Westminster is:

Violence Against the Person – 2nd highest (136)

Rape Zero (0) Lowest out of a total of 40 rapes in London

Other Sexual (9) Highest out of a total of 96 Other Sexual in London

Methinks that Soho’s presence in Westminster may be significant.

Pick Pockets – Westminster 14 the other 31 Boroughs between them – 16. So now we know that pick pockets target tourists.

Well after examining the figures I can only conclude that criminals are geographically savvy creatures, & that Shoplifters don’t waste their time trying to steal from areas without shops, that Pimps only operate in Red Light Districts, that Car Thieves don’t steal bicycles.

Meantime may Pimlico Flat’s crime free existence continue for the rest of the century. Maybe we are lucky, or maybe it’s because we are in a quiet residential backwater, in a Neighbourhood Watch area, & because we employ maintenance, and cleaning personnel who keep our properties under continual observation. ” The harder you practice, the luckier you get.”

Tags: Fraud, London, Pimlico, SW1, Westminster
Posted in Renting on January 9th, 2009 |

Renting Scam 5 – Other Charges

We have warned you to be clear what other charges might apply to a tenancy. Typical examples can include:

Administration fee – £300 mainly for the preparation of the rental agreement.
Credit check – £150 confirms names, address and bank details
Inventory fee – £80 Third Party Inventory Clerks can charge up to 2 weeks rent.
Renewal fee – £100 Most ‘assured shorthold’ tenancies are six month contracts.
Maintenance £40 - phoning a plumber.
Insurance fee – £200
Checking out fee – £45
Cleaning fee – £150
VAT 17.5%

That’s £1200 to rent a flat!

But those are the legal fees the sky is the limit if you fall for a Charges scam.

In a recent case a couple hunting for a home came across a bargain – a flat too good to be true. The alarm bells would be ringing for a reader of the Renting Flats in London Blog, but to the couple there was nothing wrong with the smart first-floor Central London flat &, eager to beat off competition, they put down a deposit. First they signed a short contract which included the following innocent-sounding clause: ‘I, the Landlord herewith confirm having received the amount £900 (one month’s rent) as a deposit for one-bedroom flat with a view to entering into a rental agreement … subject to being provided with satisfactory references. Should the references not be satisfactory, the deposit will be paid back (less a fee for checking the references, depending upon the time spent at a rate of £75 per hour, plus expenses such as phone calls).’

Problems arose, however, when the Landlord approached a referee, a finance director at their employer, and began asking questions. The director thought that it was inappropriate to be quizzed, and the couple agreed - ’if this is what he was going to be like as a landlord, I wasn’t interested. I would simply notify him to say we didn’t want the apartment’.

the Landlord told themm it was too late as a reference check was under way. In the end, the landlord refunded £200 of the £900 deposit, claiming the balance was time spent on checking the references.

Another couple of prospective tenants were told that they had failed the reference check because their combined income was not enough to cover the rent, and received only £240 from the £865 deposit. The couple insist their references were ‘spotless’ and their combined income of £2,500 a month was adequate.

A citizens advice bureau adviser has advised four sets of would-be tenants who have put down deposits of close to £1,000 each for the elusive apartment and all have lost most of their deposit. ‘He could well be making a good living out of doing this if our suspicions are right,’ he says.

But do the would-be tenants who willingly signed up to the agreement have a legal leg to stand on? Unfortunately not – it is not an unlawful contract, but it is a rip-off. A police response is that it was a ‘civil matter’ they should pursue themselves.

· Read the small print. Don’t get pressurised or rushed into signing any agreement. Ignore the assurances of landlords that ‘it’s just a formality’ or ‘that clause doesn’t really matter’.

· Bring your own references from an employer, previous landlord, bank etc. Get other references yourself if necessary in case the landlord or agents try to charge you for obtaining any additional references. Consider negotiating a clause that any deductions for reference checking, for example, don’t exceed £50.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2006/jan/22/property.observercashsection

Tags: Fraud, Rent, Scam
Posted in Renting on November 18th, 2008 |

One Response to “Renting Scam 5 – Other Charges”

Summary of Seven Scams Students Suffer Searching for Studios « Renting Flats in London says:

September 29, 2009 at 10:41 am

[...] Pre Tenancy Charges [...]

Reply

Charges to Rent a Flat

As I write this Pimlico Flats make no charges for preparing the Inventory, preparing the Agreement, Administering the Deposit, taking References. This will probably change in the near future as we currently do a lot of work for tenants free of charge, which are generally subject to a charge, & little appreciated by our prospective tenants. As a tenant you need to be aware of this work, and how much you are going to be charged for it. Fees are typically:

Administration fee – £300
Agents charge from £35 up to £300 some agents claim this covers the cost of viewings. The average fee appears to be around £100, & is mainly for the preparation of the rental agreement.

Credit check – £150
Fees ranging from £35 per head to £150. As an indication of the true cost, Experian’s ‘Tenant Verifier’ service confirms names, address and bank details for a cost of £10. Banks charge around £10.50 (the fee at First Direct) for a reference.

Inventory fee – £80
Agents routinely add an ‘inventory fee’ – even for unfurnished properties. The typical cost is £50, but can go as high as £80. Some agents double-charge, sending the bill both to the tenant and the landlord (this is illegal). Third Party Inventory Clerks can charge up to 2 weeks rent.

Renewal fee – £100
Most ‘assured shorthold’ tenancies are six month contracts. We at Pimlico Flats allow the tenancy to roll over into a Periodic Tenancy which means that the tenant isn’t locked into another fixed term. Many agents charge a fee every six months to renew the contract – usually around £35 but sometimes as high as £100.

Maintenance fee – £40
Not common – but agent can add an extra 10% (£40 on average) for little more than phoning a plumber.

Insurance fee – £200
Some tenants are pressured into taking expensive contents policies and led to believe that these were conditional upon accepting the tenancy.

Checking out fee – £45
A charge made when you hand back the keys, as high as £45. Not common.

Cleaning fee – £150
The one fee that Pimlico Flats may charge – you receive the flat spotless, so we expect it back in the same condition. There is no charge if you have cleaned the flat, & £25 if you arrange cleaning through us in advance, however if we expect you to clean, & you haven’t our costs may be much higher rushing in contract cleaners.

VAT
All the above charges are subject to VAT @ 17.5% when charged by an agent.

We emphasis that Pimlico Flats do not make any of the above charges, however they are normal practice when renting a flat.

The key point is that you must ask what the charges are before commiting to a Flat, & most definitely before leaving a deposit for a flat, & that these charges must reflect the actual costs involved. If you find yourself on the wrong end of some Unfair Contract Terms the Office of Fair Trading might be able if the 1977 unfair contract terms act has been breached. However by far & away the best approach is to investigate these fees fully prior to commiting to a rental. Otherwise you may incurr unexpected, but valid costs or worse ………….

If you don’t check in advance you may find that you fall foul of one of the scams described in our next blog.

Tags: Fraud, Rent, Scam
Posted in General on November 18th, 2008 |

Renting Scam 4 – Men in Suits

All that Glitters is not Gold.

When you visit an agent try not to be carried away with their stylish office, this is not necessarily a sign of probity. In the previous articles I talked about the importance of accountability, & the signs of a normal transaction – the 3 Ps of Property might be said to be Presence, Premises, Phone. Well – the reverse applies also – beware a triumph of Presentation. By now you may well be thinking – what can possibly be wrong with a reputable firm, an expensive office in a prime location, & a fine company car to chauffer me around the very finest properties? The answer is requires a little thought & understanding of the business model that supports this sales strategy.

An agent’s life is a difficult one, they sit between Landlord & Tenant with nothing to survive on but their wit, blamed by both for the failing of the other, & very often reviled for no reason of their making. You could be forgiven for thinking that an Agent’s role is to sell property to tenants – in fact that is of secondary consideration. In the London market there is a surfeit of both tenants & agents, & the 1st objective of any agent will be to convince landlords that they are best served registering their properties with that particular agency. This means promising a higher rent than anyone else can achieve – generally promising “Company Lets”. The more luxurious the office, car, & suit, the more believable the promise of premium rents.

The same luxurious office, car, & suit works to impress a prospective tenant of the value of the flats that they have on their books, but now the business model is slightly different. The competition is other agents, & the idea is to keep the prospective tenant viewing your flats, to keep their choice to one of your landlords – any one. The ideal way of achieving this is to drive them around from flat to flat & not let them out of the car flat or office until a tenancy agreement has been signed. They don’t care which flat you sign for – but they do care that you sign for one of them!

So what’s the Scam? Well – there is nothing actually illegal, but you do need to beware that you don’t end up paying far more than you need have. Your chauffer come property consultant is on commission, & this means that it is in his/her interest to see you spend as much money as possible. Agents charge Landlords from 10+% for finding a tenant to 17% for a fully managed letting (I’ve included the VAT as it isn’t an output for residential letting) – & a big chunk of that will go to the negotiator, so they will be trying to negotiate a managed letting, & also a longer contract than you might have thought of, locking you into the higher rent that they have sold you on. Don’t kid yourself – that commission is coming straight out of your rent!

It’s not a scam in the sense of fraud, but nevertheless I know of a tenant who ended up spending £3000 to buy himself out of a 24 month contract that he should never have been signed up for by a reputable agent. At Pimlico Flats we offer 6 month contracts & allow the tenant to stay as long as they wish – we know that they will want to stay with us voluntarily, so we don’t need to contract tenants to longer lettings.

So protect yourself against the Men in Suits:

Visit properties from more than 1 agent
Visit properties not let through an agent
Be clear what length of tenancy you want to commit to, & don’t sign for anything longer than you know that you need.

Tags: Fraud, Rent, Scam
Posted in Renting on November 18th, 2008 |

One Response to “Renting Scam 4 – Men in Suits”

Summary of Seven Scams Students Suffer Searching for Studios « Renting Flats in London says:

September 29, 2009 at 10:44 am

[...] Impressive Front [...]

Reply

Renting Scam 3 – Have you got the money?

Landlords tend to be cautious because there are so many dishonest tenants, & whilst the law goes to great lengths to protect tenants, it expects Landlords to watch out for themselves. Consequently tenants find Landlords quite hard work as we insist on proof that a tenant is going to be honest & responsible before we hand over our keys. Scammers pretending to be Landlords use this to their advantage.

In this scam, the “Landlord” advertises a very attractive flat - the flat is a bargain, it’s too good to be true! You can’t afford to miss it!!! These ads will pretty much be on free listings (Gumtree, Craigslist) or else will be in response to a Wanted Ad. that you yourself have put out. Nearly always fraudsters use our own greed to overcome our common sense. It is clear to you that the flat is a must have – you can tell from the advert, the description, the photos, even without seeing it, that you simply must secure it before someone else snaps it up. In correspondence it appears that you are going to be the early bird that gets the worm, the Landlord doesn’t realise how much their property is really worth, you are going to land the fish. But just as you have the bargain within your grasp the Landlord comes over all cautious. They want proof that you are Bona Fide. Have you got the money for the deposit & 1st month rent for the flat? Not for long – you are going to lose it in a second!

The “Landlord” suggests a foolproof way of your proving that you have the money. You simply send a relative (or a friend, or even yourself) the money by trackable means. You pay the money into Western Union for it to be sent to your relative. You get the receipt, & send a copy of the receipt to the Landlord to prove that you have the money. Nothing could be safer – you trust your relative to give you the money back so effectively it never leaves your possession & you can use it to snap up your bargain.

Only when your relative comes to draw the money out to return it to you, they find that someone with the receipt details & their ID has already withdrawn the money. Now don’t say that you wouldn’t fall for that, because lots of very intelligent people have fallen for it already, & lots more who haven’t read this blog are going to. I have copied below some of the correspondence used in the operations of this scam. Real people have lost real money.

The telltale signs of this scam are:

Scammers always seem to be poorly educated, their correspondence is full of grammatical errors, & spelling mistakes. One day a scammer will learn to use a spell checker – then we will all be in trouble!
The flat is a bargain, it’s too good to be true!
The adverts appear on free listings such as Craigslist, Gumtree, or in response to a “Wanted” advert that you have placed.
They can’t meet you
Western Union, Moneygram

Some Real Life Examples

Hello
Thanks so much for your patroinising of my flat but i will want us to do its in this way and if you think you have`nt seen what you want to pay for i think if i send you the pics and i know you will see what it looks like and i want you to know that this is the best way for me to do it, i want you to know that it will be Ok for both of us,anyother things apart from this is fowl and if you want it in this way,dont hesitate to get back to me asap.

I will pay you immediately the money you used for the transfer called ,TRANSFER CHARGES,its just for me to show my lawyer the details that you paid for the deposit and Rent, so i can fixed an appointment with you to come and see your flat and for you to be sure you can secure the payment of the deposit via western union as follows you can go to western union to pay with your name as receivers and your boyfriends name as senders just e-mail me the details as follow to show my lawyer that you really paid or send me the scanned copy of the payment,to show to him ,

NAME OF SENDER……
YOUR RELATIVES NAME NAME OF RECEIVER…..
YOUR NAME MTCN 10 DIGIT CONTROL NUMBER…
AMOUNT SENT….
ADDRESS OF SENDER….

And it will be you only that can pick it up and when i get the details will call western union for confirmation if you really pay and will ringed you up also to fixed an appointment for 2morrow after which we both go together to western union and pick it up when you’re thru viewing and you pay me and i will handed over to you your key and the receipt which would have been prepared by my lawyer after i shown him the details and i call western union if you really pay and you’ll be able to move in anytime.
Hope this get to you in good condition.
Await your reply back

1)when you just get to western union, send the money by your friends name.
2)your name must be the reciever coz we will go to nearest western union to get the money when its time for viewing.
3)you will now send me the information so that i can comfirm that you really want to rent my flat.
4)when will get there and you did not like the flat,you will get you money back coz i`m only doing this coz there are some people that are just wasting people`s time and i dont have time to waste.
5)And the viewing will be schedule immediately

Hello .

It is a pleasure reading from you again, viewing the property is not
well executed on here i need a serious commitment before i can come
for the viewing because am now in Liverpool for some civil job now.All
you need to do is to transfer the security deposit and a month fees
to any of your friend,family partner,relative or anybody in U.k even
to yourself or anybody you trust through any western union agent
around you and scan the receipt you are given from the agents to me to
check if the money is available and immediately i see and confirm the
details,i will arrange for the view and after the view you will go and
collect your money and pay me cash in the presence of my lawyer to
prepare a rental receipts or anytime since i am 100% assured that you
are capable This is done this way for the safety and security of the
both of us because i don’t want to tell you to pay me before the view
and i need to be sure you are serious and for the charges it will be
deducted from the first month payment.if you can do this now i will
come for the viewing as possible . i wait to read from you soon.so
that we can arrange for the viewing. i will be waiting for the details,so
i can confirm and see if the money is available,so we can arrange for
the viewing and sign the contract agreement and receipts in the
present of my lawyer.

Cheers

******

Hello flatmate
Thanks for the mail and interest in my flat?Its good for you to come but before you can have access to view the apartment you have to complete the security fees of 400 GBP this is from the authority concern i will implore you to make the payment of the security and get the confirmation to view the said apartment without this security fees you have no acess to come and visit the apartment.i will be very happy to be sincere and honest with you due to my bad experience last week by a flatmate like you who wanna come over and view the flat but not knowing his a bugler.
I will want to let you know that if you really interested in my flat you will been to act fast and also pay security deposit and contact because a lot of people were really interested to be my flatmate both home and abroad and you need to pay secuity deposit for me to keep the flat for you and also let me know if you agreed to security deposit to keep the flat for you.Let me know if agree if so you should get back to me with your full name with contact address to prepare agreement for you to sign.
Hope to read from you again with the transfer details for viewing tomorrow so that after confirming the transfer details which my lawyer will issue a receipt you will bring along with you for viewing,
Cheers,

*****

Hi

Really appreciate your mails,really am i looking for someone urgently to occupy the room, cus i have been with my uncle here for so long not until he got a job in west africa, as a director of one big firm, and he could not help but go, so he has gone and i dont want to stay alone in the home, so he asked me to look for a roomate. the place is located in ***********, St John’s Wood, London, NW8 0EH .

so if really you are intersted in the room, he his giving it out for 400pounds but you will have to secure the room by paying a deposit of about 200pounds.

The room has internet and it also has a desk and a chair for reading and writing, there is a private bathroom and toilet in it. its really nice.

once you are ready to make payment for the security deposit for the room, i will advice you to contact him, all discussion is with me but the payment goes to him cus he his in charge.
i will only entertain good questions, i only make him know when i do find someone that is serious and willing to get the room cus its urgent, like i told you that i wont want to stay alone in the house cus it will be boring to me, so i am going to israel tommorrow to meet my parent and i am not coming back until Saturday(already with my ticket, leaving first thing tommorrow morning), as soon as you have got the place secured, then the receipt you will get will be presented to me cus i will be home as soon as you made it.

little thing about myself, i am alittle quiet, fair in complexion, i dont party except on friday evening, i can sit for coffee maybe on saturdays, i am jovial, but sometimes serious. hope to meet you soon.

Do you have a picture of your self, if you do i will like to see it, hope you have seen mine.
hope to read from you soonest.
here is my Uncle email address: ***********@yahoo.com

His name is Mr. ****************

His number is +**************

******

I have attached the photos of my flat below. My flat is very close University and also the nearest tube station is Marylebone and Regent Park tube station is just about 5 mins walking.
General information
Address: Regent Street,
Neighborhood: Westminster,London,W1B 6UW
City: Central London
Rent: £300 per Month(s) for each room
Deposit::£700 (The security deposit with one month rent will be pay first thruWESTERN UNION,the security deposit is refundable after stay one week in my flat so if you agreed you may getback to me with full name with contact address.
Available: 10 MARCH 2008
Minimum Stay: 1 Month(s)

Flatmate description
Gender: Female Orientation: Straight
Smoker: Non Smoker Occupation: Professional
Age: 27 yrs old Pet: No

Preferred flatmate description
Gender: Doesn’t Matter Orientation: Doesn’t Matter
Smoker: Doesn’t Matter Occupation: Doesn’t Matter
Age Range: from 16 to 99 yrs. old Couple: Doesn’t Matter

Room and flat description
Dwelling type: Flat Floor #:
No# of bedrooms: 3 # of BR available: 3
No# of bathrooms: 3 Parking: Yes
Pet: Not Disclosed Flat Sq ft.: 0 Sq. Ft.

Room amenities: Furnished, Private bath, Hardwood floor, TV, Air conditioning, Closet, Private entrance
Home amenities: Washer/Dryer, Internet, Dishwasher, Yard, Pool
Comments:
Access to Health Club at no cost superbly located in the heart of the interesting and vibrant area of CENTRAL LONDON, yet with easy and convenient access into the City Center. is a recently developed area around large water basins and walkways with lots of entertainment and places to eat and drink.Let me know if is suitable with you if so you should be able to get back to me with Full name including your Contact address to make the agreement form for you to sign.
Sincerely

Hello Dave, You can stay in My property for as Long as you want and you dont haveto pay any Bills because all Bills is inclusive.we have to reach anagreement before you can be able to view the Property.I am giving thisflat away just because no one is making use of the house at themoment. and i hate to see it dirty every time. Its better for me tolet it out to someone who will make it clean and tidy. I hope youunderstand this. Well, Viewing the house is not a problem. But i willlike you to do a thing. I guess you will understand this. It’s in thepolicy my Lawyer has told me and i wish to abide by it. I won’t getany money from you now. So you will do a thing to make me believe youreally need the Apartment.I have been fooled several times and I hadto travel a long journey with my Lawyer to meet people who wants toview my property and at the end of the day they tell me they want tostay in the apartment for a month before they would pay me. I don’twant this to happen to me again so My Lawyer has advised me that Ihave to be sure that who so ever is renting my property should becapable of paying the cost of the rent. You will go to the nearest WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER aroundyou,Send to your Friend send the sum 1100pounds in western union. Themoney is still within you. I am not ready to get money from you as ihave said. All I need to see is the western union money transfer copyof receipt giving to you. Scan the western union receipt and send itas an attachment to my email just for me to view it and be sure youare ready to get the Flat. after viewing the house, and you reallylike it, You can go together to the western union location agent orbank around here to get the 1100 pounds back and we can reach anagreement on how you will move into the Flat. I will pay back to youthe charges you will be using in sending the money in western union.If you don’t understand, Here is an examples of how to do it….

SENDERS NAME………………..
YOUR NAME RECEIVER’ NAME……………….
YOUR FRIEND NAME. AMOUNT SENT…………………1100POUNDS.

Hello Dave,

I have an apartment on 97 Edgware Rd, London, W2 1ED, United Kingdom,Its an apartment with 2 Bed Room and a Living Room, Kitchen and Bathrooms Included.All bills is included.
I am presently in Bristol taking care of somethings here and I am willing to rent out my Property.
The cost of my Property is:
Security Deposit which would be refunded to you if nothing is damaged in my Property until you would be leaving which is 600 Pounds and the House Rent is 500 pounds/Month and all bills is included.
I have attached pictures of the Room and Living room for you.
I hope you would get back to be asap so that we can finalize this.

Best Regards,
Bruce.

and scan the copy of receipt to me in an email just for me to view it. and then i can pick you up and show you the Flat. Best Regards.Bruce.

Tags: Fraud, Rent, Scam
Posted in Pimlico Flats, Renting on November 14th, 2008 |

3 Responses to “Renting Scam 3 – Have you got the money?”

Summary of Seven Scams Students Suffer Searching for Studios « Renting Flats in London says:

September 29, 2009 at 10:43 am

[...] Proof that you can pay [...]

Reply
Jannine says:

June 17, 2010 at 12:41 am

The rent is bills inclusive except electric bill which you will pay your self. I can take the rent on any term you prefer, weekly or monthly. I will be the one personally to come take you round my flat after you. might have confirm your financial ability to me, like I said, this is due to past bad experience I have had whereby tenants will make me come all the way from belfast to view flat and they would later say its out of their budget. This what you should do to confirm it: Transfer atleast 800.00 pounds to your partner through western union,get back to use with a scan copy of transfer receipt before your partner picks up the fund, my solicitor will then confirm it, then after this your partner can pick up the transfer. This will fully assure us that you are both financially capable to hold my flat for long term rent. Awaiting response. Mr Willy Bradford

Reply
- Nick Parkin (Pimlico Flats) says:
  
  June 17, 2010 at 12:49 am
  
  Yes Jannine – that is exactly what a scam e-mail looks like, thanks for posting it.
  
  Reply

Renting Scam 2 – Be Streetwise

In any field of life the way to protect yourself is to be “Streetwise“. What does this mean – & in particular what does it mean when renting? The answer is surprisingly simple – it means knowing what is normal, & what is abnormal. If things are not proceeding in a normal way your alarm should be ringing.

Now you shouldn’t be ashamed of not knowing what is normal when renting a property, whilst I enter into dozens of rental agreements every year, the average citizen is unlikely to have rented before and probably won’t have that many tenancies in their lifetime. To help you understand what to expect I will outline the steps that a tenant renting from Pimlico Flats will typically go through. Although a number of things will be different with different organisations, or when dealing with an agent, hopefully the principles will be constant.

The tenant will read about a vacancy of ours on this Blog, on our Website, if we eMail a recent enquirer with a new vacancy, on a free Advertising Website (e.g. eBay Classifieds), or through an Agency that charges the tenant. The advertisement will show Plans & Photographs of the flat. We will list the vacancy on our Blog as soon as we hear of it (up to a month in advance), and if it isn’t to be filled from our waiting list we will list it on our Website. We will advertise the flat about 1 week before the vacancy arises. The reason for this is that few tenants search a long time in advance, most tenants are looking to move in within the week & consequently we waste our advertising placing it a long way in advance. The disadvantage of this is that the viewing, references, & credit checks tend to be done in a rush.

The tenant will enquire either by telephone or eMail. eMails which say “here is my phone number, phone me” are ignored – if the prospect can’t be bothered to enquire properly, they probably aren’t serious about renting. We don’t respond to ”Wanted” adverts – life is too short. We don’t let through Agents however much they promise to get a higher rent than we can achieve renting directly.

We will discuss the flat answering all the prospect’s questions, hopefully leading to an appointment to view the flat. The viewing may be conducted by the current tenant, or by ourselves. If a prospect wishes to proceed we ask for a holding deposit of 10 days rent in cash or by Paypal. Flats are never reserved unless a holding deposit has been paid. We give a receipt for this and if you proceed with the tenancy it is credited to your 1st Month Rent. If you do not proceed the deposit covers our costs in re-marketing the property. We ask for references, it is acceptable for these to come from friends & family but we prefer for the reference to come from your employer. We telephone the referee to discuss the reference.

On receipt of cleared funds for the 1st 2 months rent you will be invited to our office to sign the tenancy agreement that has been prepared for you (if you prefer you can pay cash at the signing, & you will be given a receipt for cash payments). You will be given a copy of the agreement that we have both signed.

You will be given the keys to your flat on the morning that you move in.

That is how a normal tenancy is entered into, & if yours is going differently please be on your guard. We will be publishing further articles with some examples of the types of scams that you may come across, & the sorts of trggers which will scream “Scam!” to you once you know what to look for.

Tags: Fraud, Rent, Scam
Posted in Renting on November 13th, 2008 |

Rent Scams 101

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.

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.

Tags: Fraud, Rent, Scam
Posted in Pimlico Flats, Renting on November 12th, 2008 |

One Response to “Rent Scams 101”

Summary of Seven Scams Students Suffer Searching for Studios « Renting Flats in London says:

September 29, 2009 at 10:40 am

[...] Free Lunch [...]

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Renting Scam 5 – Other Charges

That’s £1200 to rent a flat!

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Charges to Rent a Flat

We emphasis that Pimlico Flats do not make any of the above charges, however they are normal practice when renting a flat.

If you don’t check in advance you may find that you fall foul of one of the scams described in our next blog.

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Renting Scam 4 – Men in Suits

All that Glitters is not Gold.

So protect yourself against the Men in Suits:

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Renting Scam 3 – Have you got the money?

The telltale signs of this scam are:

Some Real Life Examples

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Renting Scam 2 – Be Streetwise

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Rent Scams 101

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