How do scammers cheat when renting an apartment?
Unfortunately, there are a lot of dishonest people in the world who try to make money by deceiving others. They come up with various schemes to look natural and disappear unnoticed with your money. This happens in different areas of life, including when renting apartments. Moreover, both landlords and tenants can be deceived.
I will share with you some situations that I know about from personal experience.
How are tenants cheated?
1. Information agencies.
There are people who offer help in finding housing. As a result, they say that they cannot show the apartments, but they are ready to select housing according to your requirements for a lower cost and provide a list of addresses. After the funds are transferred, the "agent" disappears with your money, and the apartments at the specified addresses will most likely not be rented out.
2. Making a small deposit without a contract.
This method of deception is very common. You find advertisements for renting a beautiful, cozy apartment. By contacting the landlord, you will find out that the demand is quite high, and if you do not want the apartment to be rented out to other people, you need to pay a deposit. They may even show you the apartment. After you have left a deposit, the landlord simply disappears. The apartment may not exist or it may be rented for a day. Never transfer money without checking documents and signing an agreement.
How are landlords cheated?
- Renting an apartment for a long time, tenants can move out without warning, leaving unpaid invoices for the use of utilities. Some may bring equipment or other expensive items with them. In order to avoid such incidents, it is necessary to charge in advance for the first and last month of residence.
- Your tenants can rent or sell your apartment to other people, making money by cheating. It’s one thing if you don’t mind subletting, it’s another thing when it’s done without your knowledge. In the event of the sale of your apartment, there will be several affected persons. You will have to spend time and money on the proceedings and proof of your innocence.
- Sometimes tenants use the rented apartment to conduct activities that are illegal. If authorized bodies are engaged in exposing this activity, the landlord will be included in the list of the main suspects in this case.
Advice: Tenants should not be happy if they found an apartment at a very low price, there is no need to transfer money without checking documents and concluding a contract. Landlords also need to check the documents, leaving copies with them. And do not forget about the need to take a security deposit for a guarantee.