How To Avoid A Rental Scam In NYC
Here is an article I wrote about rental scams in NYC for a travel website.
In New York City, if it seems too good to be true, that’s because it is. NYC is the home of an abundance of culture, diversity, beautiful sights, and different neighborhoods. However, with rents being sky-high come many opportunities for rental scammers to strike. We’ve got your back though - here are our tips on how to avoid a rental scam in NYC.
Avoid listings that don’t have exact addresses
You’ll sometimes find listings that don’t include exact street addresses. Whilst this can sometimes be an honest mistake from a legitimate broker, it is often a red flag. Scammers collect pictures from existing rentals to create fictional listings as bait for the perfect scam. As a rule of thumb, avoid listings that don’t have exact addresses. If you don’t have a choice, do some digging and check it’s a real place by searching for the apartment on websites like StreetEasy. Check the listings match: same number of bedrooms, photos, amenities, and price. Quick tip: use a reverse Google image search on the listing pictures to see whether it shows up at a higher price elsewhere.
Steer clear of cash deals
A landlord should never ask you for cash upfront to secure a rental or ask you for application fees, or costs related to checking your credit score. When you have good reason to believe you should be paying something, payments should never be made directly in the agent or broker’s name.
Most landlords want to take a good look at your
application before they conclude the rental process,
so be wary of landlords that seem overly eager. Plus, look up your agent or broker on NYC’s eAccess system to check they’re legit - the system lets you access a database of any licensed person/entity in NYC. You should also check they’re a member of the REBNY (the Real Estate Board of New York).
Beware of bad etiquette
Landlords, brokers, or agents will want to look professional and adhere to a certain etiquette when it comes to any contact with potential renters. Be careful of bizarre turns of phrase, excessive typos and errors, and messages that seem a little too eager to be genuine. Scammers, sitting at computers sometimes at the other side of the planet, will try to obtain your personal details or get money from you - they will claim they are unable to show the apartment in person. Perhaps they will say they need money transfers to guarantee a rental. Definitely a red flag - never transfer any money abroad.
Be careful of anything that looks too good
Beautiful photos of magnificent rentals for low prices are definitely, almost systematically scams. Always be aware of the market prices in the particular neighborhood you’re looking at. Spend time browsing and use online tools to find out the rents like Rent Hop. Scammers may also use the ‘bait and switch’ method where they advertise a too good to be true listing then tell you it’s no longer available and show you a much lower quality rental. Check how long the listing has been on the market - if it’s been there for too long, other people have refused the rental, probably for good reasons. Same thing for a listing that’s been on and off the market time and time again, it usually shows something is wrong with it. Amazing deals are often riddled with illegal features like listings that don’t have enough windows or with bedrooms in basements. Always be aware of your rights to protect your safety, and never settle for less than required!
