Rental Scams

Rental scams - they are everywhere. They exist for rental apartment units, airbnb and vacation rentals, car rentals, all kinds. Rental scams tend to start t o flare up in areas where resources are scarce. A couple of years ago a friend of mine from Ottawa tried to rent a private minivan from an ad on facebook or craigslist or something because there were no car rentals available for his family's vacation here. A sweet talker on the other end of the ad asked for a $500 deposit to reserve it and they would leave it in the parking lot at the airport. No minivan.

It happens for apartment rentals as well. Although Longship does advertise rentals on facebook and a few other sites, there are many, many scams out there and they will eventually hook someone. We get so many emails from people who have been scammed and don't want to be scammed. Here is just one example received recently...

Need a professional's help. For renters, unless you know the people involved, a professional property management company is a 100% guarantee you won't get scammed. For Landlords, you will also benefit from similar scams that target you.

Landlords and home owners are constantly targeted by scammers. People who will rent your place and flip and rent it for more or turn it into a rooming house. Or people who will rent for a short time period and simply not pay, forcing the owner to go through the court process that can take months to resolve and rarely covers costs and even recovers rent.

Professional background checks, and deep dives into an applicants past, most focused on income verification and previous landlords. Then we vet the previous landlords. What this does is ensure that your tenants are representing themselves accurately, and will take care of your property and pay rent in full and on time.

So be aware of scams on both ends. Your best bet is to hire a professional property management company. Longship can help with all aspects of getting started and getting going. Call or text us today at 709-765-5974, or email at longshippm@gmail.com.