As if times aren’t already tough enough on people, the Better Business Bureau is warning that many prospective renters are getting scammed out of some serious money as they shop around for a new place to call home.
When looking for a place to rent, it is important to understand how landlord scams typically work. Here’s what usually happens: A would-be renter responds to an ad for a rental home. The ads are typically placed on the Internet. The “landlord” says that keys will be sent after the renter wires a large deposit, sometimes as much as $1,400. When the renter asks to see the home first, the landlord says that isn’t possible because he or she is out of the country.
What happens next? The renter goes to move into the rental property, but the home invariably is already occupied. In a lot cases, the home has been up for sale or has been in foreclosure for a while. As such, there are photographs of the home posted on legitimate real estate and or bank foreclosure auction web sites. All the scam artist has to do is copy and paste the photos into a new rental ad and post a free ad online.
This does not have to happen to you or the ones you love. Go to www.landlordinvestigators.com and check out all perspective rental properties before you spend your hard earned money.
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