Subletting my apt - how to avoid broker scams? (NYC) (apartments, lease)

[oceanic01]

I am offering my NYC apartment as a sublet and would like to know if I should be on the lookout for brokers posing as prospective tenants, or any other scams.

More precisely, I am not subletting my place but rather "assigning" my lease (this is the NYC housing law term for it). It simply means someone fully taking over your lease.

That is, a person can break their lease and assign it to another person, if the landlord grants permission. The first tenant's lease (mine) is then completely terminated and the new person gets their own lease.

My landlord agreed on the condition that I find someone to take it over, which is very fair. (They have every right to refuse, and could have required me instead to simply sublet.) The management company has been very upfront and cooperative with allowing me to do this.

It also means, of course, that I advertise and show the apartment myself.

Naturally I make the situation clear to everyone who inquires. If they want the apartment they go directly to the management company who handles all the paperwork and credit check. I am not involved in that nor does any money get paid to me - which is great. This is better overall than if I had to sublet.

My only concern is that somehow this situation could be gamed by unscrupulous brokers.

I can't even imagine how, but there seems to be so many scams out there.

Thanks for your help.

[cleasach]

Originally Posted by oceanic01

My only concern is that somehow this situation could be gamed by unscrupulous brokers.

I can't even imagine how, but there seems to be so many scams out there.

Thanks for your help.

Not sure what you mean by unscrupulous brokers.... I would be more concerned about scammers who pretend that your apartment is theirs and take deposits from people and disappear. That can be avoided by not listing the address in the advertisement.

Example:
----
Need someone to take over my lease
I am moving due to a job relocation and need to find someone to take over my lease. It's a nice one bedroom apartment in a quiet building in Brooklyn Heights, near the subway and shopping. No pets are allowed.

Prospective tenants will have to meet with the management company and produce pay stubs, references and information for a credit check. If you are interested, please email..... call.... whatever.

No brokers. Thank you.
----

[oceanic01]

Originally Posted by cleasach

Not sure what you mean by unscrupulous brokers.
----

I didn't have anything particular in mind. I just know there's a bewildering variety of scams. To me most seem obvious, like wiring money to someone you've only talked to on the phone, but who knows what else is out there.

Originally Posted by cleasach

I would be more concerned about scammers who pretend that your apartment is theirs and take deposits from people and disappear. That can be avoided by not listing the address in the advertisement..
----

I don't understand how that would work. How could a scammer take money for my apartment, since prospective tenants can only see the place if I let them in, and then I send them to the management company itself -?

[cleasach]

Originally Posted by oceanic01

I didn't have anything particular in mind. I just know there's a bewildering variety of scams. To me most seem obvious, like wiring money to someone you've only talked to on the phone, but who knows what else is out there.

People who do that are scammers, not brokers.

[LongtimeBravesFan]

I don't see how someone could rip you off. If you advertise it and a broker brings by a perspective renter, they wouldn't be asking you for money.

[cleasach]

Scams on craigslist usually work when apartments are empty and doors unlocked or if someone in the same building knows there is a vacancy and can get in through a window to unlock the door. Or, there can be listings on craigslist that include the address of the building and apartment number.

Some unscrupulous person will "list" the apartment on craigslist and meet the person there. They will show them the apartment and take a deposit. They will do this to many people and in a day can make some decent cash before disappearing.

You posted that you have a management company so I have no idea what you are worried about here. If a broker did call you, they'd screen the person first and the person would pay the broker for finding them the apartment. Like BravesFan said, you would have no out of pocket expenses for that.

It should also be remembered that the victims of rental scams are most likely the potential renter, not the person looking to rent out the place.

[oceanic01]

Cleasach, Longtimebravesfan"

Thanks. I was never clear on how those scams work which you described, so these details are very informative. And yes, none of them apply to me.

I was just double-checking because you can't be too cautious in NYC, especially if, like me, you've never been involved with this stuff before.