Beware of the property scams!

Unfortunately there are a lot of con-artists out there preying on those who are looking to rent houses, flats or rooms. They tend to use advertising websites such as Gumtree where landlords tend to advertise privately to attract tenants direct.

These con-artists have managed to scam a number of people by taking payments upfront normally worth a full month's rent and then disappear. 

Unless people become more aware of this, these scam-artists will continue to trick people and get away with it.

Scam alert 1

Lets say you're currently scrolling through a website looking at properties to rent in East London. You've come across a stunningly well presented 2 bedroom flat being advertised by the landlord. It is advertised for a very good price, it seems to tick all your boxes and is available to be viewed as soon as possible. You then pick up the phone with excitement and call the landlord who is very nice and friendly and urges you to transfer him a deposit upfront to secure the flat before you view. DO NOT PAY ANY LANDLORDS OR LETTING AGENTS ANYTHING WITHOUT VIEWING THE PROPERTY FIRST. DO NOT TRUST ANYONE WHO ADVISES YOU TO DO SO.

Scam alert 2

Another scenario of this same landlord would be that he was nice and friendly and was more than happy for you to arrange a viewing first before making any payments. You then arrive at the property and have now met this friendly landlord who shows you around in person. This time the property really does ticks all the boxes. You then tell him you love the property and would like to rent the flat. The landlord says yes, advises you to pay him all the money in cash upfront right away and then voila, allows you to sign the tenancy agreement right there on the spot. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS. ANY LEGITIMATE LANDLORD WILL ALWAYS ENSURE THEY CARRY OUT REFERENCE CHECKS ON YOU BEFORE THEY ACCEPT YOU AS A TENANT AND SIGN A TENANCY AGREEMENT. NEVER PAY IN CASH EVEN IF THEY PROMISE TO GIVE YOU A RECEIPT.

Stay tuned for our next post on how to avoid being scammed and what you should request from the landlord.