This is the second year I've heard of vacation rental scams being perpetuated on Craigs List. I had one vacationer call me because she saw the house she thought she rented on our website. Would I check with the owner for her please? I found out that she had not rented this house, had sent $3000 via certified check to someone and did not have a house for her family vacation. Here's how to avoid having this happen to you.
1. Use a reputable real estate agent. We charge the same rate as the owners - that's our agreement with the owners. Want to know if an agent is reputable? Look at their website, check to see if they are registered with the state - licensed. Do they have an office location that can be verified? Their payment terms may be more stringent than an owner's might be, i.e. you have to send a deposit check immediately, but you will know that you have a rental property for your vacation.
2. Check out who the owner of the house is. If the person you are talking to says they are the agent of the owner, contact the owner. The owner of a home is easy to find out - it's public record. There are several websites accessible to anyone. So look it up, contact them and confirm who is handling their home for rental.
3. Some scammers are using actual photos and listing info from rental websites. How to avoid this? Look at other websites for the same house and see if the information matches. Some scammers also use photos of houses that are for sale - not for rent. If I post our listings on Craigs List I clearly state that the house is for sale and not for rent.
4. There are very few DEALS out there when it comes to real estate. If it sounds to good to be true - it probably is. Owners and tenants are savvy these days and know what the market is, whether for sale or for rent. Some owners will make rental concessions, usually for multiple weeks, but not for a one week rental - its not worth it.
5. We require a deposit and if the rental is starting within 30 days, we want the funds wire transferred into our bank account. This is the only way we can guarantee to our owners that we have a tenant and that they should not rent it to someone else. If you are not dealing with a real estate professional or the owner directly, you need to be sure that you are sending funds to the appropriate place.
In the end, your best bet is to work with a real estate professional who handles more than one rental property, so that if the property you inquired about is not available, there are other options for you. Additionally, they are in business in the place you are going and can be reached with questions or problems. Some agents do not meet their rental clients at the property; they simply leave the keys, directions, etc. for the client at the property. We real estate professionals do not want these scams out there and will do all we can to prevent them and make sure your vacation is all you want it to be!
