Renting - Scams?

Lamps

im thinking of renting a place, but before i go handing over the deposit and a months rent, whats the most obvious scams?

It will be my first time renting and im renting directly from the house owner (well thats it, i hope he owns the house!) and i just want to be sure i dont get stung. The reason i ask is because the landlord is from a country with a reputation for being scammers(i know it doesnt really mean much, but just put me on alert!), and i dont know but i just have a gut feeling that all may not be totally right (in no way justified though, it all seems above board!).

If someone can just let me know if theres any dodgy scams and ways in whoch i can avoid them, just to be certain.

Cheers.

sneakerfreak

Hard to answer this correctly.

Most scams involve someone renting a place then re-renting it to multiple tenants then absconding witht he deposits and first months rents,its very very easily done.

Other less lucrative scams are subletting places without the landlords knowledge for a price higher than what the original tenant (scammer in this case) pays.

Another less lucrative scam is the current tenant re-renting the place to a new tenant so he/she can get back her deposit etc on a place that they are leaving early (breaking the lease contract).


Really and truly the only way to catch them out is to do one of these things.

Contact the PRTB and see who is listed as the owner (not sure if this is possible and its definitely only possible if they are registered).

Or go to Nassau street (Cú Chulainn Place I think or else Setanta Centre/Place) beside Reads Printing,ask at reception for where to find the list of property owners,its the third floor I think) go and check who the landlord is,you can do it no problem.

Now the difficult part is if the person trying to let you the place tells you hes just a letting agent.You dont need a license to be a letting agent,you do to act as an agent in buying and selling property but not to let,anyone can do it,I have done it.Its very hard to check then but some things will be indicators-They wont accept a bank draft/Cheque under any circumstances (this could also mean they are legit in renting but tax dodging on revenue),they dont have a landline number (not a 100% sign of falsehood as they are easily obtainable by deception but most people including immigrants would usually not be aware of this).They are not worried about standing orders after the initial payment etc etc

Hope this helps.Im drunk,just home from pub but let me know if you need any help as I did this work for quite some time and am familiar with most scams.

D3PO

check who the property is registered to.

the most popular scam that takes place is somebody renting a house pretends to be the owner.

advertises it for rent and "rents" it to multiple different people legging it with the deposits and first months rent.

Remember if it seems to good to be true it usually is !!

sneakerfreak

D3PO wrote: »

chek who the porperty is registered to.

the most popular scam that takes place is somebody renting a house pretends to be the owner.

advertises it for rent and "rents" it to multiple different people legging it with the deposits and first months rent.

Remember if it seems to good to be true it usually is !!

Did you read the second post in this thread?

Did you just get all excited and start typing as soon as you got past the first few sentences in the original post?

D3PO

sneakerfreak wrote: »

Did you read the second post in this thread?

Did you just get all excited and start typing as soon as you got past the first few sentences in the original post?

whats wrong, did I tread on your virtual toes ? :rolleyes: you might notice ive explained a little more detail on the workings of the scam.

now let me go get you a tissue to dry your eyes

The_Conductor

Behave folk.

Lamps

Thanks people.

Ok is there a way to avoid taking the first months rent and deposit? I'll be renting from a subletter, the lease expires in a few months so ill be taking the place for a few months only?

the_syco

Lamps wrote: »

Thanks people.

Ok is there a way to avoid taking the first months rent and deposit? I'll be renting from a subletter, the lease expires in a few months so ill be taking the place for a few months only?

Avoid. Basically, someone is leaving their lease early, so they are getting you to "fill the gap". Also, as the reason for the subletter leaving early is unknown, it may be due to something bad? Try to get somewhere to stay the full amount of time you wish to stay.

gary the great

Especially if they seem a little dodgy and you have a gut feeling....

Lamps

the_syco wrote: »

Avoid. Basically, someone is leaving their lease early, so they are getting you to "fill the gap". Also, as the reason for the subletter leaving early is unknown, it may be due to something bad? Try to get somewhere to stay the full amount of time you wish to stay.

Thing is this is perfect, i only need the place for a certain amount of time to. i dont mind filling the gap, it suits both parties.

Im just afraid of not getting the deposit back. Is there any special type of accounts the money can be held in or any other arrangements that can be made? just dont want to hand over the rent and a deposit and get screwed if the letter does a runner with the deposit.

PS this is another place now im talking about, not the original with the landlord being from the country with the reputation!

round1

I suggest when you meet a prospective landlord you should ask him for a copy of the lease you will be signing, saying that you want your solictor to look it over. It should be interesting to see what reaction that produces especially if you ask him for his name, address and contact number for the solictor. Ask about registering the tenancy with the PRTB as it's a legal requirement. It is also required by law now for the landlord to have a BER cert re energy rating when renting out a property. Be carefull out there!