|
Potential
tenants are becoming more aware of rental scams by bogus landlords, according
to Seeff Properties.
"Fraudulent activities always increase dramatically at the lowest
points in an economic cycle," said Jules Arnott, Cape Town and CBD
rentals specialist with Seeff Properties.
"Potential tenants are therefore becoming increasingly wary of looking
for properties via less traditional methods."
Arnott said one of the rental scams involved individuals posing as property
owners, particularly on certain social networking and advertising web-based
forums.
"The potential tenant is invariably required to pay a substantial
'holding deposit' without having even seen the proposed lease.
"By the time the tenant is then due to take occupation the 'owner'
has disappeared along with the deposit," Arnott said.
Another scam was internet bookings for non-existent properties.
"These are often advertised on the web with pictures which, under
careful scrutiny to a person with local knowledge, will in no way resemble
the description," Arnott said.
The tenant paid upfront then arrived to take up a non-existent booking.
A recent scam, discovered by Seef's City Bowl rental agent Elzunia Singer,
advertised a property rented and managed by Seeff.
"Fortunately the client just happened to contact us looking for
the location of the property and we were able to tell him it was a fabrication."
Arnott said it was also in property owners' best interests to market
their property for rent through an established rental agency.
"This will not only protect the owner from the costly legal pitfalls
of a badly-drafted lease, but it will inevitably achieve a quicker let
at a higher price and attract a far better calibre of applicant."
Invariably potential tenants that applied privately to rent a property
direct with an owner did so in the knowledge they would be declined as
suitable by a rental agency's credit and reference checks, Arnott said.
Sapa

|