Apartment rental scam: popular rental scams

Nowadays, the real estate market is saturated with scammers who use various techniques to take possession of the homes of gullible citizens.

Moreover, the above applies not only to purchase or sale transactions. Rental scams are also rampant.

In this publication, the portal’s experts will tell you what types of fraud exist when renting out an apartment, how to recognize a swindler, and what to do if a tenant gets scammed when renting an apartment.

Apartment rental scams: scammers and their tricks

On the Internet, newspapers and on television you can find information about many methods and schemes of fraud in the rental of residential real estate.

Its authors are not only the real and imaginary owner of the apartment, but also the tenant, who then illegally disposes of the housing. For example, property is being subleased on illegal grounds.

When scammers operate, renting apartments is extremely attractive to them. After all, it is often extremely difficult for the injured party to prove the illegality of actions. This especially happens when housing is rented for a short time.

Fraud schemes when renting out apartments are also practiced by some companies calling themselves real estate agencies.

For example, a client enters into an agreement and pays a certain amount. In return, he is given a set of addresses of “rental” apartments. But according to the coordinates provided, there can be no talk of any rental.

A distinctive feature of this scheme is that the contract is drawn up legally correctly. Therefore, it is almost impossible to return the money to the injured party through the court or law enforcement agencies.

Melnikov - Renting real estate under the threat of scammers

In an interview with the Kommersant newspaper, General Director Tsian Maxim Anatolyevich Melnikov said that the rental housing market is more susceptible to fraudulent schemes than the sales market. Cyan has been around for 20 years, and all this time, scammers never tire of coming up with new schemes.

To the journalist’s questions about how Tsian suppresses the activities of dishonest businessmen, Melnikov replied: “We are coming up with some countermeasures in response. User complaints are one of the most important channels.”

“In addition, over the past few years we have expanded a large data science unit, thanks to which suspicious advertisements are calculated based on a huge amount of information. Then they go to the moderators, who find out what’s going on,” Melnikov finished.

Thus, if you encounter a type of fraud not listed above when trying to rent a home on www. cian.ru, tell us about it, and we will add to our encyclopedia. This will warn other clients and prevent the activities of scammers. Melnikov’s words about security measures will be confirmed by the numbers:

• About 19 million people use the Cyan website per month.

• About 100 thousand suspicious ads that require additional verification are processed monthly on Cian.

• Fake ads are monitored by numerous Cian moderators and hundreds of robots trained to identify violations based on special characteristics and transfer them to company employees for a final verdict.

• In addition to robots and moderators, fake ads on Cyan can also be detected by users themselves. There is a “Complain” option for this.

• In the Qian moderation department, there is a separate pool of 40 “mystery shoppers” whose tasks include ringing ads, during which a specialist introduces himself as a buyer, checking the reliability of the ad published on the site.

Real estate scam topics

Sublease initiated by a fraudster

When apartment rentals occur, scammers resort to several unscrupulous tactics.

The first of them is that housing is subleased without the knowledge of its owner. In this case, he will have to start evicting uninvited guests. And this takes a lot of time and nerves.

Another option is that the sublease is for a longer period than the main tenancy agreement. Then, sooner or later, the deceived guest will certainly face claims from the owner of the apartment.

Apartment for daily rent

Apartment rental fraud occurs regardless of the period for which the property is rented. When renting daily, scammers most often use the following method.

They rent a more or less decent apartment, and then place an advertisement for renting it out for a long term. You won’t envy a future employer in such a situation.

After all, literally in a matter of days the real owner of the property will come demanding to vacate the apartment. In addition, in this case, the scammers charge several months in advance and then disappear.

Fraud when renting an apartment consists of the following scheme. Scammers offer several apartment options for booking on the website (with minimal contact information).

After transferring a certain amount from clients, the attackers disappear and stop making contact.

Multiple rentals of apartments

This option is a classic scam in the rental market. The essence of the scheme is extremely simple. The fraudster rents an apartment and then rents it out to several different people. Naturally, a conflict arises over who should live in the housing.

It also happens that the attacker draws up contracts, takes money from citizens, and then changes all the locks on the doors. At the same time, the person remains without a roof over his head and without money.

False owner

Here, too, everything is more or less clear. The person handing over the property has forged documents regarding himself or the property. He takes money several months in advance and then suddenly disappears.

The tenant will sooner or later have to face the real owner of the property with all the ensuing consequences. At the same time, freeing up space cannot be avoided

View properties

Cian reminds you that one of the main rules of viewing is to make sure that you are renting exactly the apartment that is mentioned in the ad that you are viewing and which will be indicated in the contract. There are several fraudulent schemes in this case:

• They may tell you that the apartment you want to rent according to the advertisement just burned down yesterday, but there is another option very close by - no worse (spoiler: it is clearly worse or much more expensive, but someone also really wants to rent it out).

• They may show you one apartment, and you will sign an agreement for another. This happens if someone changed the numbers on the doors or, having chatted up a gullible tenant, brought him to the next building. Tip: make sure that the apartment numbers on the landing are indicated in the correct order, and the house and building numbers match the details of the housing you were going to rent.

• Instead of viewing the tenant’s apartment that the client wants to rent, scammers can invite you to the company’s office. This is done ostensibly to sign an agreement for the provision of information services. This is not a more responsible approach, but an attempt to extract money from you for imposed services. After signing the contract, you will most likely be sent to a “meeting with the property owner,” who, of course, will not come. All your data specified in the contract will later be transferred to the call center database, and you will then be tormented with advertising calls in an attempt to sell illiquid apartments. And, yes, the money for information services will not be returned to you - they, in general, were provided (and ask him if the owner did not show up).

• Viewings of the apartment that the client plans to rent are always free – period. No self-respecting company whose activities are legal will extort money from a client for a routine inspection of rental housing.

When the apartment owner is a scammer

It is not only employers who are unscrupulous. When renting a home, fraud on the part of the owner is not excluded.

For example, he can unilaterally raise rents sharply. Few employers try to argue with this, especially if there were no written agreements.

Here are some other types of such abuses.

Collusion between the owner and the real estate agency

The scheme is as follows. A person rents an apartment with the help of a real estate agency, paying rent and a deposit. However, after a few days, the owner suddenly insists that he needs the housing himself and asks to vacate it.

In this case, only part of the money is returned to the employer. The remaining amount is divided between the home owner and realtors.

Renting without the consent of the other owners

If several people own real estate, then one of them may suddenly become against renting out the apartment. In this case, the citizen is forced to leave the premises, losing part of his money.

Therefore, when concluding an agreement, emphasis should be placed on the presence of other owners of the premises and their consent to move in.

Repairs at the expense of the tenant

Here the deception scheme is as follows. The owner rents out to the tenant an apartment that needs repairs. The contract stipulates a symbolic rent, but with the condition that all work must be carried out by the tenant.

Then the following happens. As soon as the renovation is completed, the owner of the apartment suddenly insists on terminating the contract and eviction.

As a result, the owner received the renovated premises for free, and the tenant lost a tidy sum. After all, renovating an apartment, even if inexpensive finishing materials are used, is not a cheap pleasure.

Calls based on an ad

It’s rare that someone is lucky enough to call the first ad and immediately find housing. So, if you are seriously concerned about finding an apartment, make yourself a list of suitable options and start consistently communicating with the landlord’s representatives.

In some places you will be lucky to immediately contact the owner, in others a realtor will answer the call. If you don’t mind paying a commission, then the second option will suit you. It’s much worse to stumble upon a realtor who pretends to be the owner. If a person is already deceiving you at this stage, you should not trust him.

To avoid wasting time, ask a few questions about the apartment. If the interlocutor cannot give an answer with confidence or takes long pauses to answer questions that are not answered in the ad, this is most likely a realtor.

If a person already responds to the words “I’m calling about an apartment” and asks again, “Which apartment?” or asks for an advertisement number, everything is completely obvious here: you are dealing with an intermediary.

Whoever you're talking to, ask a few questions:

• How much does the apartment cost and are utilities included in the price? The price may differ from that indicated in the advertisement.
• Is there a commission? Sometimes not only realtors are ready to take it, but also the matchmaker-brother-cousin of the owner, on whose behalf the ad is posted.
• Is the owner ready to bring documents confirming his right to own the apartment?

Remember that at this stage you do not need to pay anyone anything. This is a direct path to becoming victims of a scammer.

Fraud by unscrupulous real estate agencies

Many believe that renting real estate through realtors will guarantee the safety of the upcoming operation. However, in reality this is far from the case. Among real estate agencies, there are often those that use dubious schemes.

A lot is written about such companies on the Internet and social networks. And if the subject is apartment rentals, the types of fraud on the part of realtors are well known.

How do realtors cheat when renting an apartment? Here are just some of the ways to deceive gullible citizens.

Databases: SMS fraud

The scheme is as follows. The client is invited to gain access to an exclusive database of apartments for rent. He is assured that options will be selected only at his request.

To gain access, scammers offer to send a paid SMS message to a specific number. Then nothing happens and they disappear.

Fictitious addresses or a pig in a poke

A popular method used by scammers who disguise themselves as a real estate agency is to provide so-called “information services.” The client is provided with a set of addresses of “rented” apartments for a fee.

As a rule, their housing is either not for rent or is already rented. In this case, the contract is drawn up legally correctly. Therefore, it is almost impossible for the injured party to get their money back.

Prepayment for renting an apartment

Some real estate agencies ask for prepayment for rent. This is not provided for by law. In addition, after receiving the money, the office may simply disappear.

Therefore, you should carefully read the contract with the realtor down to every point. Otherwise, you may end up with serious problems in the future.

Documents that the tenant must check

In such a complex matter as renting real estate, the legal side of the issue is very important. Firstly, the contract must be concluded only with the owner of the apartment.

Secondly, you need to know what documents you need to check when renting an apartment:

• certificate of ownership of the apartment. It is important to make sure that the owner of the apartment is really the person with whom the contract is being concluded;
• a document confirming on what basis the apartment became the property of the owner (sale and purchase agreement, gift, etc.);
• civil passport of the apartment owner;
• TIN of the home owner;
• extract from the house register - this document will help verify who else has the right to use the housing. If other persons are registered in the apartment, then you need to obtain their written consent to carry out the rental transaction;
• permission from the guardianship authorities - if a minor is registered in the rented apartment;
• transfer deed - if the apartment has any property, and not just bare walls.

And again Avito

Within the Russian Federation, mass goods and services are purchased through the Avito portal. Therefore, it is not surprising that fraud in renting apartments on Avito has become widespread.

There are several signs that may indicate that an ad is suspicious.

1. Almost always a photo of an apartment is displayed that has nothing to do with reality. Typically, the image is taken from numerous third-party resources.
2. The advertisement contains prices that are significantly lower than market prices. Fraudsters do this specifically in order to select more potential victims.

When scammers work for Avito, hiring may involve making an advance payment for rent, which is then easily cashed out by the scammers.

Criminals also offer their services for remote housing search. For this, a monthly subscription fee is established. And it is far from a fact that the desired option will be selected.

Payment for real estate

• When discussing payment for housing, you should not switch to third-party messengers. Often scammers offer to leave the chat on the Cian website (supposedly it’s more convenient), and then, having already gained trust, they send links to payment (or to receive payment), which exactly copy the appearance of the corresponding page on Cyan, but in reality they are a completely different service whose activities are aimed at stealing card data. By following this link, the victim enters the card details, after which the scammers can write off everything that is there. You can recognize a fake site by the similar spelling of the site address - for example, ciian. ru. ciaan. ru.

• You should not pay for additional services - for example, booking an apartment for which, according to the owner, there is already a whole line of people who are suffering and ready to participate in the auction (most likely, other auction participants will be fake, and you, in the excitement, can rent an apartment at a much higher price than planned). In addition, the very fact of booking is considered unacceptable on the official real estate market - respectable landlords do not practice this.

• The term "deposit" and delayed check-in may be used instead of a reservation. Cian reminds us that this is a simple play on words, which gives scammers an excellent chance to pull off their scheme. Having paid several thousand and received an invitation to transport things in a week, you risk meeting another dozen of the same tenants with suitcases at the entrance. The scheme is simple: the scammers actually rented an apartment, and then simply rented it out to you, a woman with a dog, a respectable Slavic family, a lonely bachelor and a crowd of other potential tenants. Having collected deposits from everyone, the scammers gave their victims the right to deal with each other. Everyone will prove their right to stay in the apartment, but everyone will be left with nothing. You can't get your money back, you'll just have to write angry reviews.

• This point, although it concerns payment, is easily clarified at the ringing stage. Apartments at reasonable prices may be burdened with the tenant's obligation to pay utility bills (usually the owner takes on this responsibility). Cian urges you to pay special attention to this small nuance when you are trying to rent a home.

• You should not pay for rent before you are shown the original title documents for the apartment. Cian recommends that you check whether this data matches the data of the apartment you were looking at and the passport data of the owner. Many scammers rely on the inattention of clients in their activities.

If you have already been deceived when you tried to rent an apartment, be sure to share your misfortune with others - write a review about the activities of the real estate company or landlord to warn other clients.

Selling a rented apartment using fake documents

This scheme is quite common in Russia. Its essence is as follows.

First, suitable housing is rented. To do this, the owner of the apartment is presented with a false passport. Accordingly, the lease agreement is issued to a third party.

Then all the necessary documents for the sale of real estate are promptly prepared. At the same time, the housing is made available for viewing to potential buyers. After the transaction is closed, the scammers with the money disappear.

In the described situation, both the original owner and the buyer of the apartment suffer. And if the owner often manages to return his property after a number of trials and criminal proceedings, then the deceived buyer is left with nothing, namely without money and housing.

How to rent an apartment for a day without getting scammed?

If there is a need to rent an apartment for a day, then you should not neglect the suitable search and choose the first apartment you come across.

To avoid problems when renting an apartment for a short time, you need to consider the following:

• book accommodation in advance;
• look at reviews about the apartment on the Internet;
• when meeting with the owner, ask him to present documents for housing, as well as provide a copy of his passport or copy the data from the passport;
• clarify all the details regarding the booking.

Memo to a potential tenant: how to avoid fraud when renting an apartment

How to rent an apartment without getting scammed? We found out what are the tricks and types of scams when renting housing.

To avoid becoming a victim of an attacker, experts provide several simple recommendations. Following them allows you to protect yourself from serious problems.

When you are renting an apartment, a lawyer can tell you how to avoid falling for scammers during your consultation. However, our advice will also be useful.

The contract is a guarantee of security

All relations between the owner of the apartment and the future tenant should be formalized in writing. It is definitely worth providing a description of the apartment and details of the title documents for it.

The agreement specifies the amount of rent, the procedure for compensation of repair costs and utilities. It is imperative to specify the conditions under which the tenant can be evicted from the apartment ahead of schedule.

Specify the composition of the property

Fraud from the owner may consist of demanding the tenant to compensate for damages for the theft of an item that actually was not in the apartment.

Therefore, the contract should include an inventory of furniture and household appliances, as well as other things, if they are in the apartment.

This inventory should be verified at the time of termination of the contract. This way the tenant will protect himself from one of the types of fraud.

What documents to check and what to pay attention to

First of all, you need to study the passport of the apartment owner. The photo pasted into it must correspond to the real appearance of the citizen.

Be sure to check all title documents for the apartment:

• extract from the real estate register;
• privatization agreement;
• certificate of the number of registered

It would be useful to look at the technical or cadastral passport.

If the apartment has several owners, and this is evident from the title documents, then they are asked to provide their consent to transfer the housing for rent.

How to check a person

If an apartment scammer is, as they say, an experienced scammer, then information about him may be available on the Internet. After all, the victims of scammers will probably want to share their misfortune with everyone.

In this way you can check the owner of the apartment, the potential tenant and the real estate agency.

If in doubt

If you doubt the reliability of the upcoming operation, it is better not to sign the contract. After all, you can lose not only your funds. As we have already said, the actions of intruders can lead to the loss of an apartment.

Correct advertisement “Rent an apartment”

In order not to fall for scammers, but to attract the attention of the apartment owner directly, you need to know how to correctly write an advertisement for rental housing:

• rental period. It is important to indicate for what period the apartment is needed - for a day, a month, several months, a year, etc.;
• how many people will live in the apartment. Each offer has its own demand, so you should not remain silent about the fact that an apartment is needed by a young family with children or elderly people. Some people prefer to rent out housing to a married couple, while others would be happy to rent a house to a single girl;
• solvency. There is no need to write in the advertisement about the payment of an advance or deposit, because only scammers will fall for this. You can confirm your solvency by providing information about where the author of the advertisement works and what position he holds;
• presence of bad habits. If the author of the ad is not a smoker, then you can safely write this in the ad. For many apartment owners this is a big plus.

Scams when renting out an apartment in questions and answers

When housing is needed temporarily, citizens rent it, and at considerable expense. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are numerous scammers operating in this segment of the real estate market. There are many schemes in their arsenal: from the simplest to carefully developed combinations.

Often scammers rent out housing to several people at the same time. And here it is extremely difficult not to be deceived. After all, swindlers, posing as the owner, hand over the keys to someone else’s premises, take money for it and disappear.

Foresight and personal life experience help you avoid becoming a victim of attackers. The verified recommendations of a lawyer in the answers to the questions below will also come in handy.

How to rent an apartment in Moscow and avoid scammers

My friend and I are coming to the capital to study. We don’t want to live in a hostel, and are thinking about renting a one-room apartment. From many television shows and articles in newspapers, we know about the actions of swindlers who take money from gullible people.

Please tell me what needs to be done in order not to become deceived? What is the first thing you need to pay attention to? Thanks in advance for your answer.

Elena, Rostov-on- Don.

You can find rental housing offers in Moscow from various sources, including the Internet and street advertisements. When choosing an option for renting, you need to ask whether a contract is concluded upon move-in. If it is not provided, it is better to refuse the offer.

The second important point is payment. Many homeowners take out funds several months in advance. One of the tricks of scammers is precisely this. Therefore, all financial issues are discussed in advance.

Finally, you need to make sure that it is the owner who is renting out the living space. To do this, his passport and real estate documents are checked - an extract from the Unified State Register.

What does prepayment mean when renting an apartment?

At the moment I am looking for temporary living space in Moscow. Most host options require an advance payment. It is not entirely clear what this means, because there is a possibility of losing your money.

Please advise how to act correctly when resolving the housing issue? I express my gratitude for the recommendations.

Andrey, Lyubertsy.

Usually two options are practiced. The first of them involves paying fees for the first and last month of renting housing. Some landlords insist on transferring the amount for several months at once.

Often scammers act as follows. They take money in advance, and then, under various pretexts, forcibly evict the tenant. There is no talk of voluntary refunds.

To avoid getting into the situation described, they enter into a full-fledged rental agreement. When the conditions stipulate prepayment, then in the event of early vacancy of the apartment, it is necessary to provide for a refund for unused months. A receipt from the owner of the property to receive funds will not hurt.

How to check an apartment before renting

There was a need to rent an apartment in Moscow. They offered an option in a new building, which was also close to work. I'm confused about the rent. Its size is significantly lower than the prices that have prevailed on the market.

What pitfalls can there be, and how can you protect yourself from being deceived? Thanks in advance for your qualified clarifications.

Mikhail, Domodedovo.

Indeed, the situation described is fraught with several risks. When the conversation turns to new buildings, it is possible that low rents may be due to the fact that the house has not yet been put into operation. Therefore, you must first order an extract from the Unified State Register for the object of interest.

The catch sometimes is that people are registered in the apartment who do not live there. But it is possible that one day they may appear and claim their rights to the living space. Therefore, before signing the contract, you must insist on a certificate from the housing office or management company about the persons registered in the housing.

It would not hurt to conduct a visual inspection of the condition of the sanitary facilities. Perhaps pipes are leaking or there are other problems that complicate normal living.

How to check an apartment tenant

Due to circumstances, I live with my mother, but I plan to rent out my studio. I want the tenant to be decent and not cause problems, including for the neighbors.

Are there any ways to find out information about the tenant legally? I am grateful to the specialist for useful advice.

Ksenia, Balashikha.

There are several ways to get an idea about a future tenant. First of all, the passport is examined to determine its validity and whether the citizen has registration.

It would be useful to inquire about the tenant’s place of work and his occupation. If desired, information about it can be obtained at the enterprise or via the Internet.

A person's personality can be revealed by his appearance. Some signs may indicate alcohol or drug abuse. And this is already a risk factor.

How to rent an apartment for daily rent in Moscow and avoid getting divorced

A two-week business trip to the capital is planned. I don’t want to live in a hotel, but I plan to rent a place for daily rent. All my friends warn me about scammers.

Recommend how to protect yourself from scammers and not get into unexpected troubles? Thanks for the answer.

Pavel, Krasnogorsk.

Before concluding a transaction, it is necessary to check the ownership of the apartment. A conscientious owner always shows a passport and title documents for real estate. An important point for business travelers is the possibility of receiving checks or receipts. After all, you need to report to your employer.

The contract must contain information about the time of use of the housing. Thanks to this, you will be able to avoid overpaying the landlord.

It wouldn't hurt to make an inventory of valuables at the time of moving in and moving out. Often, scammers will accuse a citizen of stealing non-existent property and demand money for it.

Useful tips

1. If the landlord asks to change the time of inspection of the apartment or offers to complete the transaction in another place, then you need to be wary. Perhaps at the time for which you previously offered to meet and inspect the apartment, the real owner will be in it, so the scammer will not be able to show the apartment.
2. You should not work with a landlord who asks for an advance payment before concluding a rental agreement. Then the tenant may not return this money, just as he may not get the apartment.
3. After inspecting the apartment, it is advisable to get to know the neighbors and check with them whether they know that the property is for rent. You can show them a photograph of the owner (take a photocopy of his passport details), ask who this person is, and whether he really is the owner. Usually neighbors know each other, so it is through them that you can find out the truthful information.
4. Arrange with a friend so that at the time of signing the rental agreement, he calls the owner and asks if the housing is still for rent. If he retires to another room, answers that he will call back later, or an affirmative “yes” is heard on the phone, then this will become a reason to refuse the deal.
5. It is better to go to a meeting with the landlord not alone, but together, so that the second companion, if necessary, can suggest something, give advice, protect against a possible fraudulent scheme, etc.
6. There is no need to take a large sum of money with you to the meeting to pay rent several months in advance, as the landlord asks. There is a possibility that the ad was submitted by scammers who, at a convenient moment for them, will simply take the money from the victim.
7. You should not look for the cheapest offers for renting an apartment. Behind the inexpensive rental there is a fraudulent scheme or there are some shortcomings in the apartment itself, for example, the photo of the apartment does not correspond to reality, the house is located in a disadvantaged area, the neighbors are disadvantaged people, etc.
8. Don't call the first ad you come across. You should analyze the real estate market and find out the pricing policy.
9. If the apartment is rented at a low price, then it is better to call and ask about the reasons for the low price. If the owner starts saying that renting an apartment is so inexpensive because some conditions need to be taken into account, then you need to think about whether you really need such an apartment. Additional conditions may be different, for example, it turns out that someone else will live in the apartment with the tenant or, for example, the owner wants “female affection”. If the ad states that the apartment is for rent to a pretty girl, only girls, or the author asks you to send a photo before calling the ad, then you should not even consider this option for renting out housing.
10. Before concluding a deal, ask the owner the questions you would like answered. There is no need to be shy, you should ask everything you are interested in and clarify the details.

To avoid becoming a victim of scammers when renting an apartment, you need to remember the following points:

• You should not rent an apartment whose price will be significantly lower than the market price;
• drawing up a rental agreement is a mandatory step that guarantees the validity of the transaction;
• It is advisable that the transaction be formalized by a notary;
• be sure to check the documents: title papers for the apartment, documents confirming ownership, passport of the owner of the property, entries in the house register about the number of registered persons, etc.

Popular fraudulent schemes and scams

Renting an apartment without a realtor is not difficult if you are attentive, common sense and familiarize yourself with the main fraudulent schemes used in the field of real estate rental:

1. Gradual increase in price. According to experts, it is almost impossible to find the real owner of the property from an advertisement. Typically, owners delegate their powers to realtors or other intermediaries. Their favorite scheme is price gouging. In response to a call about the ad, they answer that the living space is almost completed and the potential tenant is already bringing a deposit. But you can still view the property, although the rental price increases slightly.
2. The property is not true to reality. Upon meeting, the potential tenant examines the beautiful premises with luxurious furniture and modern appliances. And after payment he receives the keys to an empty apartment, where behind the beautiful facade there were torn wallpaper and chipped tiles in the bathroom.
3. False owner. In some cases, citizens who want to rent housing without intermediaries on more favorable terms are faced with outright fraud. The scheme is simple: the swindler, posing as the owner of the apartment, rents it out, takes the money and disappears. And when new residents move in, they find out that the owner of the living space is a completely different person.
4. Tricks with utility bills. The joy of moving into a new home can be overshadowed by thousands of bills for the first month of residence. The owner of the apartment can blame the tenant for his past debts for utility services or previous tenants. Most often, such unscrupulous landlords take the deposit to pay off the debt and offer to move out of the apartment as soon as possible.
5. Multiple rentals. Another common fraud scheme is the rental of residential real estate to several tenants at once. The owner just needs to make several sets of keys and collect money from everyone. In the best case, the person who arrives at the new address the fastest will be able to move into the apartment, and in the worst case, all applicants will receive a free set of keys that do not open anything.
6. Creation of unbearable conditions. After renting out the property and taking money from the residents for accommodation, some owners begin to pester the residents. This may include multiple or late visits, suppression of any attempts to rearrange furniture or household items in their own way, or other inappropriate demands. The main goal of such owners is to bring the tenant to an explosion and a decision to move out of the living space. Nobody is going to return the deposit or money paid in advance for accommodation.

Healthy! If the tenant falls into the clutches of scammers, you must immediately contact the nearest branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. It is much easier to catch scammers in hot pursuit when they are in close proximity to the scene of the incident.

Deception in real estate agencies

How do realtors cheat when renting apartments? The fastest (but not always and not profitable for everyone) way to rent or rent out an apartment is to contact a real estate agency.

The organization works for a % of the transaction, so it is in their interests to find the right option as soon as possible.

Also, the real estate agency acts as a guarantor of the transaction , and, if problems arise on one side or another, it is obliged to resolve them as soon as possible.

The realtor bears the burden of checking the condition of the apartment before renting, whether the owners have the right to own the property, and reading the contract for controversial items.

But all this applies only to those agencies that conduct honest activities. Unfortunately, along with them, pseudo-real estate agencies , whose work boils down to deceiving clients. Such organizations are divided into 2 groups:

• news agencies;
• fly-by-night agencies.

In the first case, the organization's activities do not go beyond the law. Under the guise of real estate services, the client is given vague wording “providing information, assistance in finding a suitable option.”

Employees of such agencies actually perform their duties, only they often involve providing clients with unverified information from the Internet or newspapers .

Such agencies do not have their own database of landlords; employees also monitor websites and newspapers for the latest advertisements. The chances of renting a home with the help of information agencies are minimal: often the interaction between the agent and the client ends with the latter being presented with 5-10 options that do not suit him .

The main feature of such “assistants” is that the fee for the realtor’s services is taken not as a percentage of the transaction, but in advance and in a fixed amount.

Employees of fly-by-night agencies, or more simply put, scammers, do not find it difficult to find fresh advertisements. They simply hand the client a printout with the contact details of the owners, whose offers have long been out of date.

When calling the indicated numbers, the client hears one answer : “already rented out . Another option for deception is that the agency provides numbers of supposed owners, who willingly answer phone calls and say that the property is still available, but there is one caveat: they themselves are currently away.

The client patiently waits for the “owner” to return, confident that the transaction will take place, but on the agreed day the subscriber turns out to be unavailable. Needless to say, the “owners” in this case are the agency employees themselves.

After the first visit

This is where your passport information, which you carefully copied, will come in handy. Check to see if the owner of the apartment is on the blacklist of landlords. Usually, the corresponding lists are easy to find on social networks or on specialized websites.

In addition, break it through the database of the Justice system. This way you will find out whether this person is suing a lot and because of what - maybe just because of the right to the apartment he is renting out.

This way you will protect yourself not only from scammers, but also simply from unpleasant people.

Drawing up a lease agreement

The best way to avoid conflict situations is to draw up a legally competent contract. To do this, it is necessary that the document contains the following points:

1. Essential conditions for signing the contract.
2. Housing rental period.
3. The amount of monthly rental payments and their frequency.
4. Reasons for revising the payment for an apartment (increasing tariffs, carrying out repairs by the owner, and so on).
5. An indication of the person who pays utility bills.
6. List of persons living with the employer.
7. Conditions for unilateral termination of the lease agreement.
8. Conditions, frequency and procedure for control checks of the condition of the apartment by the owner.
9. An appendix containing an inventory of all property in the apartment.
10. An act of acceptance and transfer of housing indicating the condition of plumbing, furniture and other property located in the apartment.
11. Conditions for financial compensation by the tenant in the event of loss, damage or destruction of property specified in the inventory.

Since in most cases, owners pay for utilities themselves, it is best to separately stipulate in the contract the procedure for paying for telephone and Internet. This will protect both parties from conflict situations if the tenant makes calls to other cities or countries from a landline phone and exceeds the traffic restrictions on Internet use.

If the tenant wants to make repairs in the apartment or install cable TV/Internet, this must be discussed with the owner in advance.

By complying with all legal requirements and carefully studying and drawing up the necessary documents, you can minimize the possible risks associated with renting housing.

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