How to Spot a Fake Rental Listing

Most rental scams are the same story with new names. Someone copies a real home’s photos, cuts the rent and asks for money before you have stepped inside.

How the story goes

The rent is low enough to make you hurry. The owner is out of town for work, church or family, so you cannot see the inside. There are other people interested, so a deposit today will hold it. The payment has to go by wire, gift card or an app that cannot be reversed.

What to do instead

1. See the inside in person. If you are moving from far away, send a friend or hire someone local.
2. Look up the address in the county auditor’s records and compare the owner’s name.
3. Search the photos or the address to see whether the same home is advertised elsewhere at another price.
4. Sign the lease before money changes hands, and pay in a way that leaves a record.

A word on our own site

We read each new listing, and we act on reports, but that is not the same as checking every home in person. Keep these habits here as well as everywhere else. If a listing on Rent Me Fast seems off, use the Report this listing link.