The US rental market has seen an unprecedented raise in demand over the past several years. Sadly, this trend has made online rental frauds, or “scams,” common in rental markets across the country. Dishonest individuals have found ways to use internet property listing sites to steal money from unsuspecting renters, and renters have become prey for these “scammers” due to the low supply of viable rental options. In certain cities, fraudulent listings may even outnumber legitimate rental advertisements. Don’t fall victim to phony rental ads - read the following information on ensuring the legitimacy of all online rental property listings (such as Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, Rent.com, etc.).

One common fraud involves a thief pretending to be a homeowner advertising a property for rent, complete with pictures taken from a realtor’s website. However, this “homeowner” is conveniently out of the country or unable to meet in person, so the potential renter is asked to wire the security deposit and first month’s rent. After the money is received, the thief then disappears with the renter’s money. In some extreme cases, keys are even mailed to the renter, who moves in only to find the realtor, real homeowner, or even the police demanding that they leave.

Dwellworks consultants leverage local expertise to protect your interests during your rental search. While consultants do not maintain exclusive home listings, they are adept at using online rental search engines and other local public tools and are able to immediately identify fraudulent advertisements. Dwellworks understands that you may wish to conduct your own rental research in addition to the support being provided by your consultant, but we request that you inform your consultant of your findings to ensure legitimacy of properties as well as to avoid duplication of efforts.

Additionally, sharing searches with your consultant can provide Dwellworks with a better understanding of your property needs. The consultant can take the appropriate steps of verifying the listing and scheduling appointments should you find a potential home in which you are very interested.

Many common rental scams can be avoided by following these rules provided by Craigslist:

• Deal locally with sellers you can meet in person to avoid scam attempts.
• Never wire funds via Western Union, Moneygram, or any other wire service. Anyone who asks you to do so is likely a scammer.
• Watch for fake cashier checks and money orders. Banks will cash them and then hold you responsible when the fake is discovered weeks later.
• Never give out financial information, such as bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.
• Avoid deals involving shipping or escrow services, and know that only a scammer will “guarantee” your transaction.
• Do not rent housing without seeing the property’s interior, or purchase expensive items without examining them firsthand. It is likely that the housing unit is not actually for rent or the item does not really exist.
• Do not submit to credit checks or background checks for a job or housing until you have met the interviewer or landlord / agent in person.

Another thing to keep in mind with many online property listing sites is that they are not always the most accurate. Sites such as Trulia and Zillow, although having extensive databases and helpful search options, can include expired listings in your search results. If you are moving to a competitive real estate market and view a property that’s been listed for 15 or 30+ days, you can likely assume that the listing is outdated, or the pricing may be inaccurate. Other sites such as Rent.com only list major apartment complexes online and do not post availability. Your Dwellworks Destination Services Consultant will always be able to confirm the availability of listings that you may find on your own with the goal of making the property-finding process as easy and painless as possible.