Avoid Rental Scams
How rental scams work
A rental scam is a type of fraud designed to trick potential renters into sending the scammer money or personal information. Some scammers copy the description and photos from real listings, change the contact information, and post their fake ad on another site. Other scammers create listings for properties that aren’t really for rent or do not even exist.
Rental scam red flags
How can you tell whether that great rental ad you found is real or a scam? If you notice any of the following warning signs, the listing may have been posted by a scammer.
Rental amount is unusually low
Check our Average Rental Costs page to get an idea of current rates in the Santa Cruz area. If a rental is listed far below the average rate for a unit of a similar size, that’s a red flag.
Landlord is unable to show you the rental
A landlord or property manager should always be willing to show you the rental in person before you sign a rental agreement. In fact, most landlords insist on meeting potential tenants in person! A scammer posing as a landlord might claim to be out of town (or out of the country), or make up some other excuse about why they can’t show you the property.
Advance payment is requested
A scammer may want you to use a payment method that makes it hard to get your money back – and they may ask you to pay before you’ve even seen the place. Some payment methods that raise red flags include wire transfer, cashier’s check, money order, escrow service, cryptocurrency, gift cards, and payment apps like Venmo or Zelle.
Errors in a rental ad or email
Find a listing that seems a little spammy? Trust your instincts. Misspellings, excessive use of capitalization, unusual formatting, and grammatical errors in a rental ad or email are all signs a scammer might be behind it.
Urgent! Sign right now!
One tactic scammers use is creating a false sense of urgency to rush you into making a decision without thinking it through. To help speed things along, a scammer may not even ask you to provide a rental application or references. If you are being pressured to sign a lease, that’s a major red flag – especially if you haven’t seen the rental yet.
How to protect your personal information and money
Meet in person and tour the property
Always meet the landlord in person to tour the property before signing rental documents or sending money. Make sure they are able to show you the rental inside and out.
Verify property ownership or management
In California, property ownership is public record. Contact the Santa Cruz County Assessor’s Office to look up property ownership information and check if it matches the info you were given. For apartment complexes, call the number listed on the management company’s website, not the number given in the rental ad. Ask for the person named in the ad to make sure they actually work for the company.
Choose a safer payment method
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends paying by credit card if possible for increased security. Avoid paying by wire transfer, cash, or with a payment app. And remember, never send money or share any financial information before viewing the rental in person.
Are some rental listing sites safer to use than others?
UCSC uses Places4Students.com to provide off-campus rental listings accessible to current UCSC students, faculty and staff at no cost. All listing requests are reviewed by the Places4Students customer support team.
Information about other rental listing sites and social media groups is publicly available to use at your own discretion. Rental scams do happen, and falling for a scam can result in a lot of wasted time and money. If a listing seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Need to report a rental scam?
If you spot a rental listing scam, report it to the website or group administrator where the ad was posted. Also report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.