Rental scams on the rise with hot housing market – Boston 25 News
BOSTON – A hot housing market makes it harder for first-time buyers to find something affordable and affects potential renters as well. Tenants are now competing with buyers who are being priced and that is causing rents to skyrocket.
But it also creates a new market: rental fraud. Online offers prove to be pitfalls for potential tenants.
“Trust your gut instinct. If it’s too good to be true, it definitely is,” said Christinamarie Desmairis. She almost fell into a rental trap and says she wants others to look out for scams.
[ ‘Who’s done this?’: Properties listed online without owners’ consent ]
“I decided I wanted to move in December, so I started looking for the rental apps,” she told Boston 25 News.
So Christinamarie used Zillow and Apartments.com to scour the hot and expensive rental market.
“Renters need three months notice,” says Andrea Patrino of Remax Realty Plus in South Boston.
Desmairis was stunned by the shock of the loaner sticker. She says some rents went in the thousands of dollars. Patrino says it adds up quickly and is a unit of $ 3,000 per month that can go up to $ 9,000 upfront.
When Desmairis saw good business on the internet, she jumped up.
“I found one in Lakeville who honestly looked a little too good to be true, but I thought I would apply anyway,” she told Boston 25.
She applied immediately for $ 900.00 a month. And immediately she says that red flags have risen.
“So I sent it in and they sent me a letter of admission right away,” Desmairis said.
The letter said in part:
“You have to pay the deposit so that we can send the keys and documents to the address you provided. Call me asap so we can come to terms. “
“Then they hit me with a bomb. I had to send them $ 1,000, ”she said.
And that without ever having seen the place in person, she said. So she wrote back saying she wanted to see the house first. Her reaction or the lack of a person baffled her.
“And after that, they stopped contacting me,” said Desmairis.
Broker Patrino says, “Yes, never send money in advance, never mail anything to someone you don’t know. “
Desmairis found another place in Plymouth for $ 800 a month, but this time she got the lazy answer.
It said in part: “Thank you for your interest and your inquiries about my house. Yes, the house is still for rent and we are looking for a responsible person / family. “
Desmairis replied by saying, “Third scam house you contacted me about !!!!”
Patrino recommends finding a real estate agent to help you navigate the hot market and the sometimes difficult rental market.
“A good realtor will review all of this information and find out who the owner is, review all the facts, and make sure what interests you is indeed a legitimate listing,” said Patrino.
She also has some tips on how to afford these high rents.
Patrino says: “Save, save, save and don’t be afraid to consider another neighborhood.”
“If you drive a few miles out of town, just a few miles, maybe five miles south, west or north, you can get something a little cheaper,” says Patrino.
Desmairis adds her own advice, saying no matter what, trust your instincts.
“First of all, be very careful. If it’s too good to be true – it’s definitely too good to be true. “
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