Due Diligence for Renting!

Renting an executive home through an agency can be one of the safest and most secure ways to rent a property sight unseen and from afar. With job placements and overseas people moving to Canada, it is not always practical to see a property beforehand. In these instances people are relying on pictures and information that they see on the internet. The trouble sometimes can be is that there are people online purporting to be agents and falsely marketing properties! In this digital age it is not too difficult to take someone else’s pictures and listing information, and then use it to scam people in to sending them money.

We have some tips for people that are in this situation, and another weblink below that contains some good information. Here are some of our recommendations:

-If you can avoid it, never deal with a private individual listing a property. A person without a company behind them, can be very difficult to do background checks on. Ask to see a copy of their identification with a picture on it. Try to cross reference this on the internet to find other pictures or information on them. Ask them who their employer is so that you can call them to verify it and make sure that the employer is legitimate! If someone is reluctant to give you any of this information then simply walk away.

–Ask if you can have a friend view the property for you. You don’t even need to have anyone. If they make excuses as to why they cannot show the property, then again simply walk away. Often when pushed to see a property, a scammer will make a bunch of excuses because they do not have keys or access to show it and do not want to risk meeting face to face.

–Do not send money unless you have thoroughly verified that the company is legitimate! Ways of doing so are endless…Find out what associations they belong to; Check their online profile through websites such as LinkedIn and Facebook; Search their other advertisements to see how much previous business they have done; Ask to see a copy of the Lease form; Ask for a copy of their business card;Ask for their HST number; Get other professional references.

In the end there are limitless ways of doing your due diligence. A common sense approach and using a degree of caution could end up saving you a ton of grief later on. We hope that you have read this and found the information useful. Here is another link with some good recommendations on how to protect yourself wisely.

The team at Harrison Carter Group are always here to help with listing your property or finding you the right home.

http://kijijiblog.ca/staying-safe-while-looking-for-housing/