Online Rental Listings

8 red flags to look for in online rental listings that indicate a possible fraud

The listing photos have an MLS watermark.

If the rental listing’s photos sport a watermark – which is used to identify the owner of the photo – look closely. Scammers sometimes illegally pull photos from the local multiple listing services, where properties are listed for sale by real estate professionals. When a photo appears with an MLS watermark, the person who posted the rental doesn’t have the original photo because they aren’t actually associated with the property.

The listing details are vague.

Not everyone’s great at writing a rental description, but if basic details seem overly vague or don’t quite make sense, it’s probably because the person who posted the property has never been there. Omitting details on utilities or mentioning an attraction that’s more than a mile away as being within walking distance can be an indication that the poster isn’t familiar with the area or doesn’t expect you to be familiar with it.

For brokers looking to pull a bait-and-switch on a renter looking for a new home,  it’s common for them to avoid putting the exact address of the available apartment so the renter can’t spot the lie. “You don’t see exactly where it is – you just get a circle on a map, and then that’s an easy way for them to say, ‘Yeah, that’s a different building,’”

They don’t want to show you the place first.

If you reach out about an online rental listing and the responder doesn’t immediately discuss showing you the available space, consider it a telltale sign that he or she has no association with the property. This also goes for potential renters reaching out to small-time landlords. If they have no interest in learning more about the property or coming to see it first, it may be a scam.

They’re ready to make a deal with no background info.

You want a landlord or property manager who seeks reliable tenants. If someone claims to be ready to sign the lease with only email communication and no background on your financial stability, he or she is likely looking to get a one-time payment from you and may disappear before you move.

The FTC warns against adhering to requests for a security deposit or first month’s rent before you’ve signed the lease and met the landlord in person. You should never pay any amount beyond an application fee before you’ve confirmed the space is available, the individual you’re working with is associated with the property and you’ve signed a contract that makes you the legal tenant.

They’re “out of the country.”

The reason many scammers give that they can’t meet with you in person is they’re temporarily out of the country. As the FTC reports on its website, scammers may even put in the effort to make it seem realistic: “It might even involve a lawyer or an ‘agent’ working on their behalf. Some scammers even create fake keys,” and send them to you in the mail.

They want you to sign something before seeing anything.

To avoid brokers looking to trick you into paying them a fee for an apartment they falsely advertised, don’t agree to sign anything before you’ve seen the place that was promised.

FTC reports these brokers will have you sign a contract that states you owe a finder’s fee for any apartment they show you that you choose to rent. You may end up liking the place, but it likely wasn’t the place you wanted originally. “Just in general, you’re there under false pretenses,”

The asking rent doesn’t match up.

Con artists and shady brokers will hook many victims with the promise of a rent that can almost seem too good to be true.

If you’re looking at rentals in a certain neighborhood and spot one for a few hundred dollars less than the rest, proceed cautiously. Chances are it’s either a fake listing or a fake rental rate to try to draw you in.

They instruct you to wire money.

Nigerian prince or not, any request for you to wire the security deposit or first month’s rent is the clearest sign of a scam. Once it’s been collected, there’s no way for you to get the money back, and the person you thought you were in contact with can easily disappear.

Rigby Police Department,

Information gathered from US news reports, and FTC reports