How would you know a home rental offering isn't a scam? Are there any specific documents you can ask for?

Question

How would you know a home rental offering isn't a scam? Are there any specific documents you can ask for?

Answer 1

What makes you think the offering would be a scam?

Regardless, here's what you could ask for. Whether the owner would supply them would be a different matter.

Note: I'm not a lawyer, so this isn't legal advice.

First, do research on your own. Check the city or county tax records to determine who the owners of record are. You want to be sure you're renting from the real owners, not from someone pretending to be the owners. (That'd be one form of scam.)

Once you've determined who the owners are, you might want to run a credit check on them. Also, have them sign an "Authorization to Release Information." This will give you the right to contact their lenders to determine the status of their mortgages. There's some concern today that people going into foreclosure are still renting properties, collecting security deposits, etc. It's not necessarily a scam, but, from your perspective, you don't want to pay money (for rent or a security deposit) that you won't get back.

Next, have a lawyer review the lease before you sign it. And if the owner won't give you a copy of the lease for legal review, keep searching for another place.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Check the county records to see if they has been a Notice of Foreclosure on the property. Other than that, you aren't really going to know if there is a scam or not.  

Answer 3

The likelihood of it happening is very low, but you can check the records at city hall to see whose name is on the deed. At the same time why don't you check the court records and see if the landlord has had any disputes recently?