Landlords of CP, what scams should you look for from renters?

[MrCallahan]

So I just bought my first home, and have a room in the basement I'd like to rent out. I know timing is not the best to enter the landlord world, considering the market, but I'm in a position to rent a room, but I'm a total rookie at being a landlord.

I've posted an ad on RentFaster and Kijiji, and I have had a couple random text messages from area codes outside of Alberta or the even the country, and something about them seems super sketchy and scammy. I know from being a renter in the past, that there are a lot of scam rental property postings, but from the from the landlord perspective, I'm not sure what to watch out for from this side!

I have responded to one of the emails, and they came back saying they are working at sea, and are in the process of moving from Australia to Canada, wants to know the total cost for 3 months rent, and asked for the address right off the bat, so they can arrange for the movers to drop stuff off. This seem odd to other landlords out there? or have you seen similar emails?

Any other advice would be appreciated!

[Canehdianman]

That's a common scam. Don't deal with anyone who wants to give you money before you ask for it.

[calf]

Quality references. Look for recent landlords. Ask if they made rent on time, reported repairs that needed to be made in a timely fashion (so it doesn't get more costly) but at the same time didn't call for every little thing, kept/left the place clean...things like that.

[photon]

Have a good application that asks for current and possibly previous employer, current and previous landlord.. Follow up on those, and be skeptical about them. Google the names and numbers, and try to get phone numbers not from the tenant (i.e. if their employer is The Calgary Herald and the manager is Bob, call the main line asking for Bob rather than the # the tenant gave you). Does the landlord phone number show up in Google as having other properties? If not, maybe call them pretending to be a renter asking "if the place they have for rent is still available". Sketchy tenants will give their buddy's number as a employer or previous tenant reference.

Credit checks work pretty well as well, can sign up for something like https://www.tenantverification.com

As far as scams go, as mentioned if it seems fishy, it probably is. If someone wants to give you a money order and get some cash back, that's a classic scam. I only take security deposits in cash or a certified cheque if they have the receipt for it as well.

[Johnny199r]

nm

[CaptainYooh]

Don't respond to texts offering you PayPal payments in advance, that's a known scam.

As a Landlord, there is not much you can do that's worthy of your efforts, really. You can ask for previous landlord's reference, but you have no way of knowing if it's a real reference. You can ask for a copy of their utility bills from previous rental place to see if they pay on time, but people rarely keep them or just say they don't have them. You can do a credit bureau and police checks with their written consent but it's not free and takes time. You can also do a PPR search that would show if there are any active or former claims against this person's personal property.

For a roommate selection, most important thing is to feel comfortable with the person that is going to live in your home next to you. Talk to him/her at length, ask lots of questions (source of income, cleanliness habits, partying, guests, house rules etc.). If it's a young person, ask if you could speak to his/her parents regarding rent payment guarantee. Also, have a good roommate tenancy agreement (it's available online from various government sources).

Most of the time, it's a gamble. There are bad tenants (and there are bad landlords). But then again, with a few bad exceptions, most people are good and honest people.

[MrCallahan]

Originally Posted by photon

Have a good application that asks for current and possibly previous employer, current and previous landlord.. Follow up on those, and be skeptical about them. Google the names and numbers, and try to get phone numbers not from the tenant (i.e. if their employer is The Calgary Herald and the manager is Bob, call the main line asking for Bob rather than the # the tenant gave you). Does the landlord phone number show up in Google as having other properties? If not, maybe call them pretending to be a renter asking "if the place they have for rent is still available". Sketchy tenants will give their buddy's number as a employer or previous tenant reference.

Credit checks work pretty well as well, can sign up for something like https://www.tenantverification.com

As far as scams go, as mentioned if it seems fishy, it probably is. If someone wants to give you a money order and get some cash back, that's a classic scam. I only take security deposits in cash or a certified cheque if they have the receipt for it as well.

Thanks!

As for the credit check, since I'm just renting a room in my own residence, as opposed to a full legal suite, it doesn't look like I could use that Tenant Verification link according to the rules they have.

IMPORTANT: If your residence and rental property address are the same, you must send in a document that shows proof that it is a multi-unit dwelling or you must send a document showing that you will be moving to a new residence.

Is there something you're aware of that's similar? or are these rules pretty loose?

[llwhiteoutll]

The biggest thing you should figure out is if the RTA applys to your situation or not. Lots of times roommates will be governed under the Innkeepers Act, which makes the situation much more favorable to you.

Basic criteria to determine that is whether or not the landlord and tenant share living space/kitchen.

[photon]

Originally Posted by MrCallahan

Is there something you're aware of that's similar? or are these rules pretty loose?

Hm I wasn't aware of that, interesting. I wonder if you proved it was a legal suite (assuming it is) if they'd waive that.

The other one I've see is http://www.rentcheckcorp.com/

[MrCallahan]

Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll

The biggest thing you should figure out is if the RTA applys to your situation or not. Lots of times roommates will be governed under the Innkeepers Act, which makes the situation much more favorable to you.

Basic criteria to determine that is whether or not the landlord and tenant share living space/kitchen.

Yep, this is the case, it's shared Kitchen/Laundry right now. I do have an eventual goal of renovating the place to make it a legal suite, but that's a few years down the road. So it sounds like this would fit under the Innkeepers Act? will look this up.

[llwhiteoutll]

Sharing kitchen would mean the RTA doesn't cover them/you.