There are plenty of other apartments in the state. Don’t let the awesomeness of the place sweep you away if you think your Landlord is shady.

Our landlords have access to our most sensitive information and access to our living place while we themselves know nothing about them. Though most of the landlords are trustworthy but there are others who can be frauds.
Below are some ways to spot a fraudulent landlord and protect yourself from a rental scam.

They don’t let you tour the place
You find a great listing on the internet and want to see it in person. But, the problem is that landlord won’t let you and keeps making excuses and telling you that it will be gone by tomorrow. If this is the situation then walk away. There are many other apartments and the landlord is surely hiding something which are not going to like.

No rental application
No rental application! Yay! It means that no credit check and no reference checks’ either. But before you get too excited think for a moment, no Rental Application means that your landlord doesn’t like to keep things in writing. And the landlord who doesn’t keep things in writing is not trustworthy.

Insane upfront fees
The laws regarding the upfront fees are very firm. At most it is first month’s rent, last month’s rent and Security Deposit equivalent to one month’s rent. But, if you are being asked anything greater than this then check the local laws before you become a victim of rental scam. Our advice is pull back.

Only cash is allowed
You are about to sign the lease and the landlord causally mentioned that he prefers cash only transactions. Cash means no record of rental payment and probably ne bank account on landlord’s part. Insist on cashier check be saying that it is for your own record and if the landlord doesn’t agree then this definitely a signal of red flag.

No paper trail
If your landlord is never responding to your mails and calls you every time you send a mail, it’s not good. Fraudulent type people don’t like to leave a paper trail behind because they don’t want to keep any track of their professional interaction. It makes it easier for them slip through the cracks if somebody files a legal suit against them.

Security deposit drama
The most common type of fraud involves the security deposit. They give you back only some amount of the security deposit and keep the rest without explaining anything. You are charged for excessive fees for cleaning and repairs which they should have tackled on their own. Pet damage is also a way to get more money from the renter. For your safety demand the receipts and third party bills to make sure that they are not collecting money from you for nothing.

Conclusion
Are there any other tips to prevent the fraud in real estate against tenants? Please leave the them in comments below.

To know more how SimplifyEm Property Management Software can help you, visit this link: http://www.simplifyem.com/property-management-software