How to act correctly to safely rent out an apartment? Dangerous rental. How to rent an apartment without the risk of being deceived How realtors deceive when renting a home
You found a wonderful apartment, signed a lease, paid money, received the keys. Do you think you can sleep peacefully now? Unfortunately, not always.
Dishonest apartment owners, black realtors and enterprising swindlers show enviable ingenuity in the matter of deceiving gullible tenants. They have dozens of different schemes in their arsenal: from unprovable “everyday misunderstandings” to real criminal acts. We read, remember, don’t get caught and expose!
Selling information
One of the most widespread types of deception in the housing market is the trading of information from supposedly closed real estate databases. Clients fall for cheap real estate services, but in the end they simply lose money. Such fraud can be both virtual and real.
SMS mailings
A person is looking for housing for rent via the Internet, and in order to communicate with realtors or landlords, he leaves his contact information on specialized websites or forums. After this, he receives a message by email or SMS with an offer to gain access to the most attractive real estate options exactly according to his request. To do this, you just need to send a message to the scammers’ number. Naturally, SMS turns out to be paid, and in return the gullible citizen does not receive any “exclusive” information.
Real estate information agencies
Fraudsters rent an office and pretend to be a real estate company. They offer citizens intermediary services - they provide apartment addresses for a reasonable fee. In this case, the amount is approximately half the standard fee of a real estate agent. The savings are explained by the fact that an agency employee does not travel to view and deal.
The client comes to the office, enters into an agreement for services and receives a list of addresses and telephone numbers. Usually, to divert attention, scammers immediately agree to view one of the apartments. The happy tenant pays the “realtors” and signs a document stating that the obligations to him have been fulfilled.
When a person arrives at the place, it turns out that the housing has already been rented or the price is significantly higher than that indicated by the agency. The situation is repeated at other addresses on the list. At the same time, it is almost impossible to make a claim to fraudsters: such an “agency” provides only an information service and is not responsible for the success of the transaction.
Which exit?
You should remember the saying about where there is free cheese. It’s not in vain that professional realtors charge money for their work - they guarantee the security of the transaction at all stages: from searching for housing to concluding an agreement and transferring money. In addition, honest agents do not take money up front. Payment for a realtor's services for a completed transaction always occurs after fulfilling obligations to the client.
If you cannot pay an agent commission, you will have to look for housing yourself on specialized websites in open real estate databases. But remember that it is safe, cheap and without a contract to rent housing only from very good friends or relatives.
Illegal subletting - apartments through third parties
Apartment for the day
As a rule, the victims of deception are careless people who do not check the housing documents of their landlords. Fraudsters rent an apartment daily and then publish an ad for long-term rental. At the same time, an artificial excitement is created around the apartment: an attractive option is offered for rent for modest money, and several applicants are invited to view at once (some of which may be fake).
The “owner” of the property with big “honest” eyes says that he is urgently leaving the city, so he will rent out the apartment today to the first applicant. As a result, potential tenants begin to compete with each other and go into a frenzy. And at the stage of signing the contract, it turns out that the landlord somehow forgot to take the documents on ownership or took only copies with him. Many tenants by this point want to rent an apartment so much that they take their word for it - they sign the papers and give the money no matter what. After this, the scammer disappears, and a few days later the deceived people, on their way to the kitchen, are surprised to meet the real home owners in the corridor.
Multiple rentals
Often, criminals manage to re-let an apartment to several gullible tenants at once - they deceive some in the morning, others at lunchtime, and others in the evening. All these people receive the keys and expect to move in the next day. But instead they encounter fellow sufferers at the door. An indirect evidence of such a scam can be a request to pay several months in advance.
Overpayment to the swindler
According to the same principle, apartments are illegally subleased, only the fake “owner” does not disappear immediately, but takes money from the tenants for quite a long time. A person rents a house and pretends to be the owner of the property. At the same time, he pays 20 thousand rubles for rent to the current owner, takes 30 thousand rubles from new tenants, and puts the difference in his pocket. Defrauded tenants not only overpay - they live in the apartment “with bird rights”, because the contract with the scammer is invalid.
With such schemes, scammers rely on the inexperience and gullibility of their victims. It’s not difficult to figure out the deception - just ask for all the papers for the apartment, the owner’s passport and ask a few leading questions about the apartment that only the real owner can know.
However, unfortunately, more and more often criminals resort to more sophisticated forgery: they forge original documents or “draw” photocopies of the certificate of ownership of housing in Photoshop, and then laminate them for greater persuasiveness. Fraudsters can work in pairs: a fake “owner” shows the papers, and a “realtor” checks their authenticity. In this case, you can only rely on intuition or rent a home only with the help of trusted real estate agents.
Deception from the owner - scammers among homeowners
Collusion between master and agent
The scheme is quite profitable: the property owner and realtor rent out an apartment, split the agent’s fee, and then evict the tenant under a flimsy pretext. After that, they look for new unhappy tenants and make double the profit. The profit is considerable: usually, the agent’s work rate is equal to the monthly cost of living.
A standard rental agreement states that the landlord can terminate the agreement without financial loss in four cases:
1. if the tenant is three days late in payment;
2. due to damage to property;
3. due to systematic violation of the rights of neighbors (noise, unsanitary conditions);
4. due to the use of the apartment for other purposes.
In communal apartments, neighbors may participate in collusion. Methods of dealing with conscientious tenants can be the most unsightly - right down to mice in the soup in the common kitchen.
Rent bypassing relatives
Tenants often become victims of family conflicts. They rent an apartment from the owner, check all the documents, and enter into an agreement. But they do not attach importance to the fact that the apartment is shared ownership by several people. Later it turns out that one of the owners decided to rent out the property without the knowledge of the other and not share the profit.
In most of these situations, the landlord does not consider himself a scammer. He didn't intend to deceive the tenant. I just hoped for “maybe”. And another interested party unexpectedly came to visit or learned about everything from neighbors.
In any case, this is not a pleasant experience for the innocent residents. At a minimum, they will face a scandal when they first meet, and possibly communication with the police. Then everything will depend on whether the relatives can settle the matter peacefully. Otherwise, the tenants will either be forced to move out (the agreement is not valid without the consent of all owners), or will be required to pay more for housing - taking into account the interests of the other owner.
Repairs at the expense of the tenant
Often, property owners use tenants as free labor. If the apartment or room is in very poor condition, it is necessary to make repairs and invest in building materials and workers. Or you can rent out housing for pennies to gullible tenants, who will gradually put everything in order on their own.
At the same time, the owners convince residents that the property is rented for a long term. They even agree to partially finance construction materials: buy wallpaper, paint or glue. Many people are happy to agree to such a scheme: they like the idea of paying cheap rent and making repairs themselves to their taste. To lull the vigilance of tenants, the parties enter into an agreement for 11 months with the possibility of extension. At the same time, people expect to settle in an apartment for several years, so they try: they whitewash the ceilings and paint the walls “for themselves.”
Further, when the repairs are completed and the housing has acquired a more marketable appearance, the owner unilaterally terminates the contract ahead of schedule. In this case, as a rule, he is obliged to return the deposit to the tenants and compensate for the commissions they paid to the agent when searching for housing. But the savings on repairs are still significant. And if the apartment was rented out without a contract, the tenants are simply kicked out onto the street.
How to avoid becoming a victim of scammers?
Unfortunately, when the landlords themselves are scammers, tenants are very vulnerable. Potential conflicts with relatives of landlords can be prevented by carefully studying the title documents for the apartment and asking for the consent of all owners to rent.
But situations where the owner-swindler “survives” the tenants are very difficult to prove. If the agreement is formally drawn up, you can try to fight: call the police and deny accusations of rowdy behavior or damage to property, meet with the owner only by prior agreement in the presence of witnesses. The standard rental agreement states that the owner has the right to check the premises only once a month in the presence of the tenant - this gives you a reason to change the locks.
To prevent abuse on the part of the apartment owner, it is necessary to spell out as accurately as possible all the obligations of the parties in the contract: what condition is all the equipment and furniture (valued in rubles), who pays for repairs, if the cause of the breakdown is wear and tear, who has the right to be in the apartment ( guests of tenants, their relatives), whether residents are allowed to keep pets.
In addition, you can get to know your neighbors in the entrance or communal apartment in advance. If the landlord has a bad reputation, they will probably be aware. And they will warn you about the endless leapfrog of residents.
But it is impossible to guarantee protection from scammers. The tenant can only minimize risks through attentiveness, experience and intuition.
What documents must be present when concluding a rental agreement?
Real estate market experts advise that you must enter into rental agreements. It's no secret that most of the rental housing market in Russia is shadow. However, this is the owner's choice. The overwhelming majority of apartments are rented semi-officially: the parties sign an agreement, but do not register it, and property owners do not report additional income to the tax authorities. However, even a simple written lease agreement is legally binding and can protect the rights of tenants. Additional guarantees - the presence of a realtor, the form and seal of the agency.
The property owner must show the tenant:
1. Original title documents for the apartment.
2. Original passport of the apartment.
3. Original owner's passport.
4. A valid power of attorney for the right to rent out housing from other owners.
5. Paid housing and communal services receipts.
In addition to the contract, the tenant must have copies of title documents and the owner’s passport. In addition, the tenant should not forget about the act of acceptance and transfer of the apartment or room and the receipt for receipt of money. Each monthly payment must be recorded on paper, signed and dated by the parties.
Don’t be afraid to appear to a realtor or rentier as a boring reinsurer. Carefully study all the documents you sign, try to provide as many nuances as possible, and ask the real estate agent any additional questions. After all, renting a home is a service for which you pay money.
The article was prepared using materials from the Rambler.Real Estate service
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Fraudsters use several schemes to deceive gullible tenants.
Inattentive and legally illiterate tenants often fall for scammers when renting an apartment. This is especially true for guests of the capital who come to Moscow for the first time. The editors of RBC Real Estate found out what schemes scammers use when renting out housing.
According to experts, the first victims of scammers are people who want to rent an apartment without intermediaries.
Don't go for cheap
Photo: Depositphotos/everett225
“One of the variants of deception: the fraudster rents an apartment by the day, for example, for a week,” Maria Baskova, head of the rental department of the ABC Housing company, gives an example. “During this time, he manages to rent out the housing to another tenant at a price significantly lower than the market price. At the same time, the fraudster asks provide him with advance payment for several months, and then disappears. The deceived tenant finds out that the apartment has a different owner, who knew nothing about this scheme."
Carefully! Municipal apartment
Photo: Depositphotos/everett225
Tenants who are trying to rent a municipal apartment can also run into scammers. The peculiarity of such an apartment is that several people can be registered in it and have the right to live there. One of the residents of the apartment rents it out, hands over the keys to the tenant and, having received money for rent, leaves. And after a while, another person registered in this apartment appears and reports that he will live here.
Apartment with relatives
Photo: Depositphotos/everett225
Another, very similar deception scheme: according to documents, the apartment belongs to a relative who now lives abroad, and you are offered to sign an agreement with a person acting under a power of attorney from the real owner of the apartment, says Olesya Mandzyak, head of the residential real estate department at Delta estate. The power of attorney may be invalid, and the person who rented such an apartment can be easily evicted.
“Very often, landlords provide copies of property documents or old-style documents,” continues Olesya Mandzyak. “When signing an agreement, copies of property documents are provided under the pretext that the originals are not available at the moment (they are located far away in the country, in another city, in bank) or old-style documents (1993, 1998). But in fact, the apartment has completely different owners, which will become clear in the near future after moving into the apartment."
Mortgage rental
And with the development of housing lending, many apartments appear on the market, purchased with a mortgage or secured by a bank. If, when renting such an apartment, the tenant is not given permission from the bank to rent out the apartment, then the owner may likely have problems with the credit institution. In this case, bank security officers or bailiffs can evict the tenant at any time.
Information fee
Photo: Depositphotos/everett225
Renters also often fall for a scam called “fee for information.” In this case, an agreement is concluded with a real estate agency and a fee is paid for contact information, which ultimately turns out to be unreliable. For example, scammers promise to find an apartment that is rented at very attractive rental rates. This is one of the oldest schemes that allows agencies to defraud tenants.
Most often, the contacts provided turn out to be fake. In the best case, the ad hides an object with a significant catch, for example, the apartment is for sale or requires serious repairs.
In the summer, with the appearance of seasonal apartments on the rental market, there are owners who tell the tenant that they are renting out the apartment for a long time, but in the fall they return to the city. As a result, the tenant is forced to look for housing again.
How to avoid falling for scammers
Photo: Depositphotos/everett225
“To avoid becoming a victim of scammers when renting apartments, it is best to immediately ask the owner for a passport, and also check the documents for the apartment,” advises Maria Baskova. “You must conclude an agreement with the owner of the apartment, which should spell out the main responsibilities of the parties. Money is best give only against receipt."
Olesya Mandzyak considers it necessary to seek help from a qualified real estate agency, where competent realtors work who can help avoid various risks when renting an apartment. “Starting with the inspection of the apartment, you need to pay attention to all the details of what is happening. When signing the contract, the landlord himself (or all participants in the property) must be present, all original documents for the property and passports, as well as all the necessary certificates, must be provided,” says the expert.
In what cases can a tenant be evicted?
Photo: Depositphotos/everett225
It is worth noting that all issues that arise between the tenant and the landlord are regulated by the Civil Code, clarifies the managing partner of the Group of Companies “Assistance to Business Projects” Kira Gin-Barisyavichene. A residential lease agreement is more beneficial for the tenant - it has the opportunity to stipulate all the nuances of the lease.
By the way, according to the law, you can evict a tenant only in two cases. Firstly, if he has not paid rent for residential premises for more than 6 months, and in case of short-term rental - in case of non-payment of rent more than twice after the expiration of the payment period established by the contract. It is also possible to evict a tenant if he causes damage to the property, but only through the court. This means that the owner of the apartment does not have the right to put you out on the street at any time under any pretext.
Vera Kozubova
What actions need to be taken, where to go, how to record and what papers to collect if fraud has been committed against the tenant/tenant?
The hero of “The Golden Calf” O. Bender knew 400 relatively honest ways of taking money. Today's realities allow fraudsters to significantly diversify the ways they commit fraud. It is hardly possible to name them all, as well as to develop a single universal way to combat them. However, before you decide to rent or rent out an apartment, you need to present the main ones.
News agency scams. The person who called about the rental ad is asked to come to the office “to make an advance payment.” Fraudsters usually post advertisements with good apartments at very low prices. In the office, specially trained people offer the client many excellent options for rental housing, while their prices are significantly lower than market prices, and agent services are quite inexpensive. The tenant, who wants to rent a house cheaply and pay less commission, agrees. He enters into an “exclusive agreement,” makes an advance payment and goes to inspect the options. The contract states that the agency provides “information services,” but the client does not pay attention to this detail. It soon turns out that there is no housing for rent at the addresses given to him by the agency. Outraged by this, he returns to the office, but the “agents” are no longer so friendly and courteous. He is told that the contract is valid for a month and he can explore other options. However, all subsequent home viewings will be “single”. When the contract expires, the client will be told that the agency has fulfilled its obligations to him.
In such a situation, it is almost impossible to get your money back. From the point of view of the law, the contract was drawn up correctly: the agency provided “information services”, the client paid for them. A deceived client is simply no longer allowed into the office. To avoid becoming a victim of fraud, you should remember that you should never transfer an advance payment without first inspecting the apartment and completing the paperwork.
Illegal rental. A typical situation is when enterprising citizens provide a potential employer with documents for an apartment (as a rule, not the originals), show the apartment, accept an advance payment, a security deposit, a commission (in the end a decent amount is obtained) and disappear. Or they give you the opportunity to move into the apartment and disappear, and after a short time it turns out that the tenant has no legal grounds to be in this apartment.
A similar method of fraud is subletting an apartment without the consent of the landlord. For example, the owner has rented out an apartment, the payment is transferred to his bank card and he calmly goes on a trip (a cult scenario), while in fact no one is monitoring the apartment. After some time, people who start living in the apartment are completely different from those to whom the owner rented the apartment. Obviously, by filing a lawsuit to evict uninvited guests, the landlord will restore his rights (in particular the right to own the apartment), but this will require time, money for legal expenses and a strong supply of nerves.
In practice, there are cases when tenants stop paying and, threatening the property owner in every possible way, continue to live peacefully in the apartment. A reflexive attempt by the landlord to contact the police may not always end in success. If the threats are not recorded, for example, on the phone or cannot be confirmed by witnesses, the police will not be able to respond in any way, since the parties have concluded a rental agreement and all issues of its execution must be resolved through civil proceedings.
Finally, the biggest method of fraud is sale of a rented apartment using fake documents. The apartment is rented using a fake passport or on behalf of a person whom the tenant has never actually seen. Within a couple of months, they prepare documents, arrange showings of the apartment, make a deal and the money disappears. With a probability close to 100%, the tenant will be able to regain the apartment by initiating a criminal case, a long investigation, parallel or sequential trial. As a result, the buyer will be left with direct damage. However, a lot of time, effort, money, and nerves will be spent on such a struggle.
How to avoid falling for scammers' tricks?
In practice, the truth of the proverb has long been proven: “The miser pays twice.” If you want to rent/rent an apartment, but you don’t have the option of making a deal with friends you trust, don’t save money, contact professional realtors with a good reputation, reviews, a large database and various options.
Never leave/give away the original documents for the apartment and your passport for a long period of time. Presenting it for review is no problem, leaving it “for verification” is never a question. There is enough data for verification, that is, just photocopies.
What documents should I check?
When concluding a rental agreement for residential premises, do not be lazy and require the landlord to provide the following documents: a certificate of ownership of the residential premises (another document allowing you to rent out an apartment - a certificate of inheritance, deed of gift, social tenancy agreement, etc.), cadastral passport (technical passport of the BTI), extract from personal account (information about supplied utilities), extract from the house register. Check the details of the apartment owner through the free online services of the government services portal or Rosreestr. It doesn't take much time, but it helps to avoid trouble.
The landlord should check with the potential employer not only the passport, but also at least one other document - driver's, service, pension, tax identification number or student ID, etc., and inquire about the place of work/study or other purpose of the visit to the region of temporary residence. In the end, it wouldn’t hurt to “Google” the person, that is, look for information about him on the Internet and social networks. Quite often, to counteract specific scammers, entire forums are created where they “know the enemy by sight” and offer specific countermeasures.
Enter into a well-drafted, detailed employment agreement, which in one way or another reflects all the conditions that are important to you.
Drawing up a security deposit agreement or requiring the counterparty to carry property and liability insurance can also help avoid trouble.
These simple tips are not a panacea for scammers, but they significantly reduce the risk of becoming their victims.
Apartments for rent
Be careful when transferring prepayments to new site users. For additional security, we recommend that you first request documents for the object and confirmation of the transaction.
Concluding contracts for the selection of real estate on behalf of CIAN
The advertisements on the CIAN website can be viewed for free and are posted in the public domain. Do not trust those who introduce themselves as a “branch” of CIAN and offer to make a selection of objects for an additional fee. Do not enter into a contract before viewing the property and checking the documents for the property.
Recently, fraud in the rental of residential real estate has become widespread. Fraudsters use various deception schemes. We will tell you in this publication how to avoid falling for the bait of cunning scammers.
Basic schemes for deceiving gullible citizens when renting housing:
- Renting one property to several persons;
- Renting out an object that does not belong to the fraudster or is not leased by him;
- Delivery of a property without actual provision of housing
- Promise to select real estate for the purpose of hiring.
To avoid becoming a victim of scammers, you need to check Is the person renting out the apartment its owner?. If it is not, then you need to clarify who the owner is, what relationship the lessor has with this person, whether he has a notarized power of attorney from the owner or a lease agreement, which indicates the possibility of subletting the property and written permission to rent it out (if the agreement contains a similar requirement).
In addition, it is advisable to obtain from Rosreestr an extract from the unified register of rights to real estate and transactions with it. It will indicate the owner and existing encumbrances of the property, if any. The state fee for the extract is 200.00 rubles, the production time is 5 days. You can order it at Rosreestr or at the multifunctional center.
You will spend 200.00 rubles and you will know exactly who is the owner of the apartment.
Important! If the owner is not the person leasing it, then you need to check his authority, whether there is a power of attorney, a lease agreement and permission to sublet the property.
In addition, it is advisable to find out who is registered in the premises and actually lives. To do this, you can look at the house register or ask for an extract from the house register.
It is advisable that no one is registered in the apartment or only 1-2 people are registered, since registration gives the right to reside.
Important! Before concluding a rental agreement, you should read it very carefully and it is advisable to let a lawyer review it to see if there are any unfavorable conditions for you.
The contract must fully indicate the object that is to be rented, the condition that the property is not mortgaged, not sold, not encumbered, and that there are no rights of third parties to the object. The contract must also indicate that The landlord guarantees that there are no rights of third parties to reside in the apartment.
If you have become a victim of fraud: you paid money, but did not actually receive an apartment for rent, then you need to file a police report against the actions of the “landlords” regarding fraud.
Often, illegal schemes are used by real estate agencies when selecting options for renting residential premises. Thus, often information services for finding an apartment for a tenant are positioned as a rental fee. A potential tenant, delighted at such a low price for renting an apartment, immediately signs an agreement with a real estate agency, without going into details. Later it turns out that the owner still has to pay rent.
Scammers on Avito when renting out apartments
Fraudsters place advertisements for apartments for rent on various classifieds websites, including the most popular site, Avito.
Fraudulent advertisements are not difficult to recognize.
Firstly, scammers sometimes post photos of designer apartments taken from third-party sites, or just pictures.
Secondly, they indicate a low price in order to attract as many potential victims as possible.
Thirdly, for a fairly low price they offer a completely acceptable option, which in reality costs much more.
To recognize a scammer also when communicating, you can ask more questions about the property that is being hired, for example, when was the last renovation, where do the apartment windows face, which metro is nearby, shops, etc.
Important! If a potential landlord has difficulty answering these questions that the owner could easily answer, then you should be wary and it is advisable not to enter into a contractual relationship with this person.
In many cases, real estate agency employees take advantage of the ignorance of ordinary citizens, improperly inform about the service and impose so-called information services, while the potential employer thinks that he is paying rent.
If you have found an apartment option that suits you on the Internet, and the staff of a real estate agency deceived you and took money for their own services under the guise of a rental price, then you urgently need to write a notice of termination of the contract for the provision of services, send it by registered mail with notification and an inventory of the attachment or hand it over on purpose under seal and signature.
In your application, demand a refund of the funds paid, refer to inadequate information about the service and Article 10.12 of the Federal Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights. If the money is not returned to you, you can file a complaint with Rospotrebnadzor or directly with the court with a claim to recover the funds paid.
ATTENTION! Due to recent changes in legislation, the information in this article may be out of date! Our lawyer will advise you free of charge - write in the form below.
1. “Money in the morning, chairs in the evening”
If, after viewing the ad, the thought flashed through your mind, “This is exactly what I’ve been looking for for so long! We must act quickly so as not to be late!” - stop for a minute. Because of emotions, a person forgets about caution and easily parts with money. Consider a classic scam ad:
After the call, it turns out that the apartment has not yet been rented out (wow!), you can view it even today, but the commission (“some” 5000 rubles) must be paid immediately, because the demand for the apartment is sooo great, and here it is -he's about to leave!
And this is where it works: “Eh, it was - it wasn’t! Five thousand and I’m happy.” Of course, the office draws up the contract “according to all the rules”, with stamps, etc. Of course, the client, who is in a hurry and euphoria, does not have time to read the contract. And after payment it turns out that the apartment was rented out literally a minute ago. "Did not have time!"
But never mind, there are other options. Only in reality it turns out that other options are nothing more than printing a bulletin board. And upon closer examination of the contract, it turns out that the “agency” provides only information services, and is not obliged to show any apartments at all.
Conclusion:
- Pay the commission only in the presence of the apartment owner, having signed an agreement with the owner and received the keys from him. Also, check that the keys fit the doors of the apartment you are in.
- Don't trust ads that:
The price is greatly reduced
- the room is locked with things and will not be given up,
- the owner goes abroad, on a business trip, etc.,
- payment by transfers is offered,
- it is emphasized that “decent people” are needed (do you think anyone needs dishonest people?),
- a designer photo of a luxury apartment (such apartments cannot be cheap),
- “assistance in registration” is offered (this is how they look for new arrivals: it’s easier to deceive them),
- the phone number is indicated in letters or shown in the photo. - Do not rent rooms in “apartment-type hotels” - this is also a scam.
2. “Our barracks are very friendly! Will you be the twentieth?
This method of fraud is used when renting out beds. Often the tenants themselves are responsible for moving in, so they often move in without a contract, on trust. This “scam” works precisely on the client’s trust. Typical ad:
It would seem like a wonderful friendly company, and the apartment is conveniently located. Apartment showings usually take place during the day, when residents are at work. The scammers take the month's payment, and in the evening all the neighbors return, not five, but twenty!
Conclusion:
- If inspection of the apartment is possible only during the day, then most likely they want to cheat you.
- When paying, ask for a receipt, which should indicate the passport details of the parties and the exact address of the apartment. Pay attention to whether the person's name in the passport matches the name of the author of the ad.
- It is highly advisable to conclude an agreement with the owner and pay him personally for the first month.
- If they refuse to enter into an agreement with the owner, pay 1-2 days in advance, and pay the rest of the amount after final check-in. Don't pay for a whole month at once if you don't know who you're dealing with.
- Do not rent a bed if the information does not match reality:
They show you a room that is not the one in the photo in the ad,
- another person comes to the meeting, and not the one in the photo in the ad,
- the distance from the metro is much greater than what was indicated in the advertisement, there are no promised shops near the house. - Do not trust advertisements that emphasize that the apartment is “almost perfect” in terms of location, interior, household appliances, etc.
- Most often, barracks are set up in three-room apartments, less often in two-room apartments.
3. Goodbye pledge!
This “scam” works when renting rooms. As you know, a deposit is paid only for an isolated room with a lock, because otherwise the room could be damaged by your roommates. It is this option that scammers use to “pocket” the deposit. Look at the ad:
So, the tenant pays a month’s rent and a deposit and moves into the room. And in the evening, 20 neighbors return to the apartment! At the end of the month the person has to move out, but the deposit is not returned to him. There can be many reasons for this: for example, torn wallpaper, a scratch on the cabinet, etc.
Conclusion:
4. Prepayment
Sometimes the owners are ready to rent out their home cheaper, but they ask for an advance payment for several months because they really need the money. Sometimes it's true.
Now imagine the situation that a month after you move in, the real owner appears and declares that the apartment was rented out using forged documents, and you have no right to rent the apartment.
Conclusion:
It only makes sense to pay several months in advance if you work through a trusted agency. In this case, it is dangerous to work directly with the owner, unless, of course, you are a real estate rental specialist.
And most importantly! Any fraud can be detected by two signs:
- you are offered almost ideal conditions, but
- There is a catch with payment: a large deposit, prepayment or lack of an agreement.
We wish you a successful housing search!