House hunters! Don’t get scammed. Read these important tips before touring a property or signing a lease.
With it being busy housing rental time, we want to take this opportunity to warn you about potential housing rental scams and things to look for to protect yourself and stay safe.
Before touring a property or signing a lease, here are some tips to consider:
1. DO NOT pay anyone a 'deposit' for a house or room before meeting them in-person, verifying that they indeed own the house or are the property manager for the house, and have a signed lease agreement
2. Make sure you have a signed agreement that clearly shows what the deposit is for, and you have a receipt of the payment. Without this, the person could accept an offer from someone else - or worse, take your money. You want proof that there was an agreement made and that the house is indeed yours as of the start date you've agreed on. Get everything discussed in writing. Don't rely solely on verbal agreements from a landlord because it will be difficult to prove they promised you something (ie. if when touring the house you notice that the sink faucet is dripping/leaking.. and the landlord tells you it'll be fixed before you move-in... have them write that on the lease agreement).
3. Pay rent with paper cheques from your bank whenever possible so there is a clear paper trail of the payment, and it is deposited to a bank account. Avoid paying rent with cash.
4. Always see the house in person before agreeing to rent it. Check the rooms, make sure that they are as shown in the photos.
5. DO NOT tour a house alone. Always go with at least one friend or a family member. Try and meet the person during the day when there is plenty of daylight. Tell a friend or family member where you are going, and who you are meeting.
6. Never trust someone you haven't vetted yourself. Even if a friend in the group you're leasing with says everything is ok, do your own research before signing the lease. Vet the landlord or property management company yourself.
7. If current tenants are present during your tour, ask them about how the landlord/property manager is. Get their feedback on how he/she is to deal with. Do a search of the landlord/property manager's name on Facebook to see if they have any other postings or reviews that are red flags. If you see the person has posted houses for rent in different groups in different cities, especially if the wording in the listing is the same across cities, then it is a red flag that it is a scammer.
8. Search student forums (such the one on our site here) for mentions of the house address or landlord name, to see if students have posted any negative experiences or feedback.
9. When touring a property, look for these things.. we've made a list to help you out:
http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...5.html?t=17755
10. Before moving in, take photos of the interior of the house so you have a record of the state of how it was before you move in. This may come in handy if the landlord claims you damaged anything, when it was already damaged before you moved in.
11. Check what is included in the monthly price, are utilities included? Hot water header? etc. Tips:
http://www.macinsiders.com/showthread.php?t=1778 0
12. Make sure you fully understand your lease agreement. Need help having someone review the lease for you? Visit the MCMASTER OFF-CAMPUS RESOURCE CENTRE (located on campus). They have experts who can help:
http://macoffcampus.mcmaster .ca
MORE TIPS:
http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea....html?t=106472
Be careful on your house hunting journey! Stay safe. And thanks for being a member of the MacInsiders.com community!
