Beware of apartment and house rentals that sound too good to be true.
That’s the word from the Guelph & District Association of Realtors (GDAR), who have seen some of the photos from their listings stolen and used in fake Kijiiji ads intended to scam people looking for a good deal on an apartment rental.
“It does happen. There is the impersonation. Someone swiping a property off MLS and putting it on Kijiji as a rental,” said Christianne Child, president of the GDAR.
Typically, a scammer will post an ad of a property that looks great and is being offered for rent at a great price. When the person wanting to rent it contacts them, they are asked for money in advance of seeing the place in person, often being given a reason such as “I’m out of town right now.”
Being a great deal and a great place, people sometimes comply thinking they got the place before anyone else could snap it up.
In the end the property was never even for rent in the first place.
“What we’re seeing on Kijiji, and the impersonations of rentals and sales, it’s not just Kijiji related,” Child said.
Plus, she adds, Kijiji can be a great place to find rentals.
“There are honest people out there doing it properly and I’ve used Kijiji myself occasionally in the past to help market a property, but there are some people out there who are going to try to take advantage of the situation.”
What’s important, Child said, is to do your homework before giving someone your money.
“Lots of due diligence is needed like you should be doing with any ad anywhere,” she said. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Speak to a professional, even if you’re just looking to rent, can help and realtors don’t just sell houses, they rent them.
“Our rental market is very strong, so when you see an ad on Kijiji that has a deal, maybe $500 less than average, people might think ‘woohoo, I got lucky and need to jump on it before someone else does.’ But you also have to use that as a hair-on-the-back-of-the-neck moment,” Child said.
“If it’s really cheap, why?”
Meet the person, take a tour of the property, talk to a realtor (they rent too) and at the very least pump the address into www.realtor.ca and see if that property is for sale. It’s unlikely it would be for sale and rent, Child said.
The bottom line?
"Due your due diligence, don't pay cash and make sure you see the place in person."
