How can you tell if the rental you want is actually fake?
Let me tell you a story. A few years back, I saw a really nice house on social media, it had everything I wanted and was in the location I preferred. I excitedly called the owner and he seemed very nice at first, but some things stopped making sense especially when he said that his daughter’s name was the same as mine. He then asked me to send him half of the rental money first and that’s when I knew that he was a con. This same man had claimed that he was an army guy who wanted to get rid of his house, he had a beautiful story. There are very many houses on social media that are fake and if you’re not careful you will be in a terrible scam. How do you know if they are fake?
1. Sounds too good to be true
So you’re there been told about a 2 bedroom house in Lavington that is 20k, the house looks like a big bungalow and it looks out of this world. Does this really make sense? If a place looks too good to be true then don’t even bother asking or inquiring further because that is definitely a scam.
2. They want money before even seeing the place
You should never give money before seeing a place and even signing a contract. Some scammers may even ask you to meet in a place and you need to be careful just in case they’d like to kidnap you, anything is possible in Kenya guys. Never give money for viewing or as a deposit unless you’re actually sure that you have sealed the deal and you like the house.
3. You’ve seen the same house on different platforms but different amounts
Ever seen the same house that looks so familiar on Facebook and other social media platforms as well? The craziest thing is that the same house can be everywhere but different amounts, this is one of the most obvious signs that this is not a real place.
4. They will probably block you once you’ve paid anything
If you’ve paid anything and the next thing your realtor’s phone is off, there’s a problem, you have been scammed. If your realtor is also using multiple numbers to communicate then there’s a chance that he/she is just planning to con you very soon and you need to stay alert or just stop talking to that person.
5. You know it’s impossible to get a house for that amount in that location
Like we mentioned earlier if you’re getting an offer on a house that is in a very good location and it is not a bedsitter of a servant’s quarter you need to ask yourself if that is possible.
How do you avoid scammers?
It’s always best to get an agent that has a good reputation and has good results. This way you can avoid working with someone who is new to you at the same time, use a platform or a page that is actually trusted and is known to yield results.
