SCAM ALERT!!! RENTERS BEWARE!!!

IrvineRenter_IHB

IrvineRenter_IHB

New member
I had this link emailed to me:



.



<a href="http://boards.fool.com/Message.asp?mid=27916016">SCAM ALERT!!! RENTERS BEWARE!!! </a>



Xposted at RE Investors;



Hey gang.... a VERY interesting thing happened you want to hear about.



Not *REALLY* endangering us landlords so much... but we're close enough to the flame I could see a burn if we weren't careful!



EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO RENTERS!!!!



We marketed a SFR of ours for $1,300/month, got a great tenant in about 2 months ago... all is good & well.



YESTERDAY the tenant calls, a little nose-tweaked, and asks "have I done something wrong? Is there something I need to know about?"



Of course, my wife said "NO... all is good.. why?"



Tenant; "Somebody came by the house this afternoon with a copy of your new rental advertisement on Craigslist, and said you gave them permission to do a walk-through... so I walked them through the house... but I REALLY WANT TO STAY!"



Joanne; "OMG... we WANT you to stay also... we ARE NOT ADVERTISING that house! You are on a lease... you're set, good to go!"



After getting the tenant settled down, Joanne went & surfed Craigslist... and sure enough, there was "our" advert... the only thing that was changed was the rent offer was now $1,100/month.



She immediately flagged the advert to CL... but today she's going to go back & see if the poster will actually respond to HER inquiry as a potential renter...



BOTTOM LINE ON THIS SCAM:



A) The scammer obviously copied & saved our script & all the pics,



B) They are probably trying to anonymously advertise, remotely show (as they did with our tenant,) and the "meet at a Starbucks" to go through a bogus app AND COLLECT A CASH DEPOSIT... only to then disappear!



C) Of course, (more insidiously) they may ALSO be scoping out the possibilities for theft and/or rape.





LESSON TO LANDLORDS;

A) BE IT KNOWN... your exact advert, including pictures, *CAN* be stolen and later re-posted with a different contact number & email address... and you may not ever know!



B) WARN YOUR TENANTS!!! They should know that YOU EXPRESSLY *NEVER EVER EVER* will authorize ANYBODY TO EVER enter their home WITHOUT AGREED NOTICE, AND THEIR APPROVAL OF THAT PERSON.



Luck!

Dave
 
Here is another scam I heard about targeting renters... The scammer finds an unoccupied home with a realtor lock box on the door. He breaks into the box and obtains the key to the home. The scammer rents the home on craigslist, meets the renter at the home, and they do a walk through. "When can you move in?" The home looks great, the renter signs the lease and gives up the deposit plus 1st months rent. "Here's the key, power should be turned on tomorrow. Bye..."
 
'Your car warranty is about to expire' -- remember those days?



you should post this scam to reddit and ask them to search and destroy, get rid of sickos that walk through peoples homes. They sure took care of those annoying car warranty calls!! (i think they were in irvine)
 
another good landlord scam i've been hearing about is home owners renting out houses they default on. Only to have the sheriff and bank eventually evict the tenants that signed a one year lease stealing their deposit and rent.



Ha Ha the world we live in. SCUM
 
[quote author="Knife Catcher" date=1251947446]another good landlord scam i've been hearing about is home owners renting out houses they default on. Only to have the sheriff and bank eventually evict the tenants that signed a one year lease stealing their deposit and rent.



Ha Ha the world we live in. SCUM</blockquote>


If there is a lease in place before the house went through foreclosure, then the bank or the investor has to honor the lease. The sheriff can't and won't kick them out if they have a valid lease. However, cash for keys can make most people move and help recover their lost deposit money. The former owner is still scum though.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1251947754][quote author="Knife Catcher" date=1251947446]another good landlord scam i've been hearing about is home owners renting out houses they default on. Only to have the sheriff and bank eventually evict the tenants that signed a one year lease stealing their deposit and rent.



Ha Ha the world we live in. SCUM</blockquote>


If there is a lease in place before the house went through foreclosure, then the bank or the investor has to honor the lease. The sheriff can't and won't kick them out if they have a valid lease. However, cash for keys can make most people move and help recover their lost deposit money. The former owner is still scum though.</blockquote>


I thought that if the house is foreclosed then the lessees were sol? Basically sold out from under, and the bank doesn't have to honor the lease. Anyone know for sure?
 
[quote author="LoudRoar" date=1251947912][quote author="graphrix" date=1251947754][quote author="Knife Catcher" date=1251947446]another good landlord scam i've been hearing about is home owners renting out houses they default on. Only to have the sheriff and bank eventually evict the tenants that signed a one year lease stealing their deposit and rent.



Ha Ha the world we live in. SCUM</blockquote>


If there is a lease in place before the house went through foreclosure, then the bank or the investor has to honor the lease. The sheriff can't and won't kick them out if they have a valid lease. However, cash for keys can make most people move and help recover their lost deposit money. The former owner is still scum though.</blockquote>


I thought that if the house is foreclosed then the lessees were sol? Basically sold out from under, and the bank doesn't have to honor the lease. Anyone know for sure?</blockquote>


Nope, new law that came about protecting tenants. I'd google it, but I want to eat lunch instead. Trust me, it exists, because it effects me.
 
<blockquote>Can the person (or bank) who buys the building at the foreclosure sale make me leave right away?

? No. If the new owner wants you to move out, the new owner needs to serve a written notice telling you to move out.

? The new owner has to give you a 90-day termination notice (limited exceptions apply).

? If you have a lease, you may be able to stay until the end of the lease term.</blockquote>


<a href="http://www.tenantstogether.org/downloads/ForeclosuresQandA_1.pdf">http://www.tenantstogether.org/downloads/ForeclosuresQandA_1.pdf</a>



Apparently, new regs or law in effect after May 20, 2009
 
What's to stop the homeowner losing the home from signing a long lease to a friend or relative at a below market rate?



"Sorry Mr. Banker, I just signed a 5 year lease for $100 a month. You'll have to wait until my lease is over before I move out. Until then, I will sublease it at a closer to market rate and split the money with the previous homeowner."
 
[quote author="Vinster" date=1251959530]What's to stop the homeowner losing the home from signing a long lease to a friend or relative at a below market rate?



"Sorry Mr. Banker, I just signed a 5 year lease for $100 a month. You'll have to wait until my lease is over before I move out. Until then, I will sublease it at a closer to market rate and split the money with the previous homeowner."</blockquote>


You go to court and prove that it was a scam, and the judge will have the occupant arrested. Trust me, I know someone who had to do this recently.
 
This is creepy.

I was just looking on craigslist and found a house for rent in Irvine that was REALLY cheap. I emailed the person to get more info and this is what they responded:

<blockquote>I want you to know that you can go and see the house today but all I want you to know is that I have present occupant living there now but they will be moving out by the 4th of next month, I want them to leave because they are not taking good care of my house and all I want a very clean tenant which I will like you to be when you move in, I do not want you to ask them about anything when you get there to view the house cos I didn?t tell them I will be renting it out to another person</blockquote>
I wonder if this is a spin on that or just a weird landlord.
 
[quote author="dcoffield" date=1251949520]<blockquote>Can the person (or bank) who buys the building at the foreclosure sale make me leave right away?

? No. If the new owner wants you to move out, the new owner needs to serve a written notice telling you to move out.

? The new owner has to give you a 90-day termination notice (limited exceptions apply).

? If you have a lease, you may be able to stay until the end of the lease term.</blockquote>


<a href="http://www.tenantstogether.org/downloads/ForeclosuresQandA_1.pdf">http://www.tenantstogether.org/downloads/ForeclosuresQandA_1.pdf</a>



Apparently, new regs or law in effect after May 20, 2009</blockquote>


Sounds like they can still get you out. Not sure about the "end of the lease term" but it seems to me that if such lease is not recorded there could be major problems down the pipeline. Vinston's concern is valid, such a law would invite maneuvering.
 
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