Rental scams, be careful with information

tonyotonyo

Desperate times, desperate people. Perfect for scams.

I've heard of all the ones looking for deposits, but I'm starting to hear more about info harvesting.

Any place looking for crazy amounts of information before even turning up, like pps numbers, salary, references beyond reason, certifications, and even photos...turn your head on, it's more than likely a scam.

Someone I know is looking for a place to rent and so far has included..

Nobody at the address for viewings,

Landlords of actual properties being informed their properties are being advertised by ramdomers

People living in a home opening the door to strangers looking for a viewing, all parties clueless.

So, a heads up.

I think its best practice to provide limited information to support your application so you stand out when the landlord is refining their list for viewings.

Personal information like PPS numbers and references should not be required until you have viewed the premises and are close to signing a lease. A lease should preferably be signed at the rental property and a deposit should only be paid into a bank account after signing the lease agreement. Never hand a deposit over in cash.

A landlord should not be looking for salary information or banking details. The landlords banking details will be included in the lease to facilitate the payment of rent and deposit.

xyz13

Current market:

Hi,

Thank you for your email.

Due to the high volume of interest unfortunately we are unable to guarantee a viewing to all enquiries so we are looking for all interested parties who wish to attend viewings to forward us on their;

1. The reason why you are leaving your current property?

2. Current Employer Reference

3. Current Landlord Reference

Prior to the viewings those who have sent in references will get a viewing on a first come first served basis. Please send these in at your earliest convenience.

Thank you in advance and we look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Lettings Team

Buckley Real Estate

*That's not a single incident by the way*

I have been asked for references prior to viewing (on one occasion salary bracket also) by both private landlords and estate agents.

DownByTheGarden

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120467887#Comment_120467887

I thought it was normal now to ask for references from your previous 3 landlords. No landlord is interested in a reference from your current landlord as he could say anything to get rid of a problem tenant.

I have heard recently of a REIT asking for a statutory declaration from each person renting the property that they have never overheld or been late with their rent in any previous place. Thats just a new thing I believe. I dont believe ive ever heard of that before a few weeks ago. I assume you wouldnt need to provide that until you have been invited to rent the property.

But you should have all references up front without even being asked for them. Including employer references. The lack of an employer reference or previous to current landlord references will tell its own story and the potential landlord will probably just throw it in the "follow up in a few weeks if you havent rented" pile instead of the "model tenant, follow up immediately" pile.

spaceHopper

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120467887#Comment_120467887

That seems fine to me, if you haven't rented before, get bank letter to say you can afford the rent, I's what was asked for in the 90's as well as employers reference.