Something happened recently that has really upset me. Heather, our team administrator/Goddess, had a call from her son Zach , detailing a rental opprotunity that went terribly wrong. Zach and his roomates had decided to make a move from their basement apt to a whole house. They found what they thought was the perfect place for them, from an ad on Craigs list. They visited the house more than once, chatted with the friendly "landlord", and decided to proceed with renting the property. They gave the "landlord" their deposit, gave their current landlord their notice to vacate, and started packing. Zach was VERY excited about the move, couldn't wait to give his family the tour. They were poised to take possession on May 1st.
Alarms started sounding this past week. Darryl, one of Zach's roommates, had sent several emails to the "landlord" that went unanswered. As did his phone calls. Darryl decided to take a ride over to the new place to check things out, and found a crew of construction guys in the house, gutting the living room. Apparently, the "landlord" that the students had been meeting with, and subsequently gave a CASH deposit to, had absolutely no affiliation with the property. He somehow gained access to the house, showed it to several groups, and had taken more than one deposit on the property...and disappeared.
The last thing the students want to hear right now is "I told you so", but they should have used a REALTOR!!!! Even in the case of a rental, a Realtor is there to protect your rights and represent your interests. It's heartbreaking that four hard working students are each out $450, to a scam artist that the Toronto Police claim has been running this particular scam for 15 years.
Buyers AND renters, beware! Be cautious, be informed, hire a real estate professional!
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