Scammers listing house for sale for rent (Portland, Beaverton: transplants, apartments)

[Nell Plotts]

I received this in an e-mail from a relative today, the house is in the Beaverton-Hillsboro area:

My son is selling his home in the Portland area and they have it listed - On wednesday he had just got home and this woman drove by asking if this was the 1200 dollars home for rent - My son found out that his house was listed for rent on 4 sites - he collected all the info , printed it out and called the police - they came out and took a report and took all the info - So several so called rental agencies were requiring a deposit from people for a house that was not for rent and when those people tried to get their money back it was gone - Can you imagine answering the front door to your home and having a family standing there with all there belonging in a truck in the street expecting to move in - The scammers are everywhere - Beware -

[khyron]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

I received this in an e-mail from a relative today, the house is in the Beaverton-Hillsboro area:

My son is selling his home in the Portland area and they have it listed - On wednesday he had just got home and this woman drove by asking if this was the 1200 dollars home for rent - My son found out that his house was listed for rent on 4 sites - he collected all the info , printed it out and called the police - they came out and took a report and took all the info - So several so called rental agencies were requiring a deposit from people for a house that was not for rent and when those people tried to get their money back it was gone - Can you imagine answering the front door to your home and having a family standing there with all there belonging in a truck in the street expecting to move in - The scammers are everywhere - Beware -

I appreciate the sentiment behind sharing this, I mean everyone should appreciate it...but without providing the names of what those four sites are, there's nothing actionable about this information. Do you happen to have access to those details? Could you ask your friend?

I would think they would be eager to share that information.

At present all someone can do is read this, get pissed, and cross their fingers that the police do something. However if we knew which web sites were allowing this, we could criticize them directly, or make consumer choices not to use them, etc.

[Nell Plotts]

I will ask for that info. I suspect that it was on Craigslist. Most web listing services do not verify. Realtors must have a card for the box that records the name of the agent.

Banks are required to know their account owner (a consequence of 911) so I wonder how they cashed a large check. The scammers may have pretended to represent an honest property management company or they may have made up a name that has been tossed.

What amazes me is that anyone would give money before looking through the house. The seller is a technology professional and although I have never visited his home I am sure if it were rented market rent would be at least $2,000 per month. Odds are the people taken advantage of were trying to rent from a distance.

[khyron]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Odds are the people taken advantage of were trying to rent from a distance.

Man, if that's true those people are nuts. When I've considered renting site unseen, I always checked out both the company involved and the property itself...come on it's SO easy to do that these days thanks to the web. If someone doesn't do that and hands over money well, I don't mean to sound mean but caveat emptor, sheesh.

[Nell Plotts]

I think many are very trusting.

[Squidlo]

Oddly I don't think I would get caught by that. I am not so trusting. I have moved a few times and always used a professional to help locate and secure a place to live. I usually contact a realtor after doing a lot of self scouting to save time.






OFF TOPIC BELOW STOP READING NOW.



(its OK if you cant stop)



Note on finding a decent rental:
I found a gem in the rough here and a willing landlord. I have one of the nicer homes on the block now after working with the landlord on repairs and upgrades. New grass, new sprinklers, new 1/4 round moldings on all walls & new paint in and out. I pitched in and did some of the landscaping. Its a win win. I have a place I enjoy. The LL has a home that will be easier to sell or rent when I leave.

Moral of the story NEGOTIATE.

[Random_Walk]

Having just done the whole rental-go-round, I've found that the following is a must for renting anything:

1) get onto the property and look around. If you're not allowed to inspect the place up-close and personal, then pass it up, period. I turned down two possible rentals because of this. If they try to cough up an excuse of current residents living there, know that the landlord is perfectly allowed to show you the place after giving the current residents 24 hours' notice of your arrival.

2) don't give 'em a single dime until you have the keys in your hand, and a lease agreement with their signature(s) on it.

3) If you're not certain, do some research. I sniffed around public records for the place I moved into, and it turns out the landlord owns a huge chunk of property, so his name was quite familiar.

After all three of these, I had no worries.

[Minervah]

The rental situation in Portland has always had major scammers and it only seems to be getting worse. I have been a renter here for many years and have told only a few of my stories so I won't repeat myself. Others have also shared theirs.

For the first time in my long history of renting I have a great landlord. I found him through others who lived in the building. I consider myself very lucky. Not that all of them have been horrible, but none of my previous landlords have ever shown much concern over their tenants.

It's probably true that like getting a good job, networking is a good resource for a decent landlord. It is not unusual for people to knock on my door both here and in other apartments where I have lived to ask about the owners or rental management companies that handled the apartments.

I don't know what to say to people who rent from out-of-town sight unseen from an ad in Craig's List or the newspaper. Others have given good advice about that. All I can say is beware. But if at all possible, come out first and see what you are getting. It's worth the effort when you are in danger of falling prey to some of the worst crooks around.

Oh, and above all, when someone tells you they have a house or apartment to rent for what seems like a super bargain, chances are it isn't. I think people should be careful on this forum especially before they start pointing out what looks like an amazing deal to potential transplants without firsthand knowledge of what conditions are really like. Or whether or not the dwelling even exists. In other words, be careful quoting what appears to be an amazing deal from Craig's List or the newspaper.

As the old saying goes, "if it looks too good to be true, it probably is."

[turquoise1]

I think this is partly due to the fact that Portland has almost no rental agencies. With a reputable rental agency, this kind of thing would have been screened right away.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by turquoise1

I think this is partly due to the fact that Portland has almost no rental agencies. With a reputable rental agency, this kind of thing would have been screened right away.

We used to have them. There was one I once used that was located on Hawthorne Blvd. a long time ago. They weren't very effective though. They charged me $25 for a list of names I probably could have found myself. And none of their listings were all that great.

But done right, it could be a protection for the prospective renter.