Tips to avoid scams - reminder

kenmm

A lot of scams going about at the moment - usually along the lines of "The property you want to see has a lot of tenants wanting to view. Pay the first months rent to secure a viewing etc"


Its easy to see why people may be tempted - its stressful looking for a place and most people want a whole heap of personal docs before a viewing (payslips/ refs/ etc).


Obv you should check things out as much as possible before sending any money anywhere - but if you are sending you can validate some details at least - for example


https://www.ibancalculator.com/iban_validieren.html


Enter the iban here - one guy was asking for a months rent + deposit to be sent to an iban registered with a prepaid credit card company.

Edgware

I am afraid with C.E.O. offers coming soon the time is ripe for students desperately seeking a place to be ripped off

Liam McPoyle

If people are dumb enough to pay a couple of grand deposit for a place they have never even seen then ive no sympathies tbh, regardless of the toilet the rental market currently is.

Edgware

Business Cat wrote: »

If people are dumb enough to pay a couple of grand deposit for a place they have never even seen then ive no sympathies tbh, regardless of the toilet the rental market currently is.

This whole accommodation scam has been highlighted so much that if you are caught out
tough luck. Life's a bitch

Sarn

If it looks too good to be true, the chances are it’s a scam.

If the photos contain air conditioning vents or 2 pin plugs, it’s definitely not an Irish apartment.

If the owner is currently out of the country, is offering a great deal and provides a sob/convoluted story, it is also a scam. Be careful of fake Airbnb links.

kenmm

Edgware wrote: »

This whole accommodation scam has been highlighted so much that if you are caught out
tough luck. Life's a bitch

Business Cat wrote: »

If people are dumb enough to pay a couple of grand deposit for a place they have never even seen then ive no sympathies tbh, regardless of the toilet the rental market currently is.

I agree to some extent - but considering the amount of new people to the market (fisrt time renters, student, newcomers to the country) and the amount of pressure people are under to find a place (you have to send a whole load of identity-theivable docs, security deposits to agents etc) I can see why people may not be thinking clearly and fall victim to such scams - hence a friendly reminder with some common tips!

Edgware

kenmm wrote: »

I agree to some extent - but considering the amount of new people to the market (fisrt time renters, student, newcomers to the country) and the amount of pressure people are under to find a place (you have to send a whole load of identity-theivable docs, security deposits to agents etc) I can see why people may not be thinking clearly and fall victim to such scams - hence a friendly reminder with some common tips!

It is such a nightmare now for students. I know that some of the old style flats and bedsits were fairly bad but a lot of them werent. They served their purpose and were often very handy to UCC UCD Trinity etc.
I had a shared flat on the South Circular rd Dublin. No taxi fares, Bathroom on ground floor for three bedsits and similar upstairs. Landlord taking cash of course and declaring half.
Decent skin would hold the deposit if you said youd be back in September.
It did the job for us but the snowflakes want an apartment with an ensuite

Baby01032012

On the flip side there are some “professional tenants” duping landlords.

They provide false IDs and work and accommodation references come across very well presented and very like able. Their purpose to secure apartment for prostitution etc. once they’re in they stop paying rent and it takes for ever to get them out.

One lot I came across letting apartment myself. I had a lucky escape. Never ring the phone number on the reference. Google the company ring the main number listed online. Look out for copy and paste references, company logos, false addresses. Don’t ring mobile numbers for employer references. Google previous accommodation.

On the other occasion I wasn’t so lucky I used a letting agent who didn’t care if references were false and I lost a years rent and gained a lot of stress.