I have an opportunity for a fantastic rental at an unbelievable price.
It is from classified ads and through owner direct
I don't want to antagonise the owner and lose the deal, but want to check it is real before handing over deposit/bond/advance rent.
Any suggestions on what to ask for eg 100 point id eg license/passport/proof of address etc
A contract will be drawn up which I have yet to see, so may have sufficient id on there
cheers
I cant see any reason you would upset him by asking "hey, why is this such an amazing deal? Allows you to ask for reason, explain that your just doing your due dilligence.
Once you have a name cross check with neighbour that they do infact own the property…
This, don't just accept their answer either, investigate it as best you can. Whatever you do don't pay them up front until you have actually seen the place and have moved in
Maybe they want to live in closet or in the garage but it means you get the place cheaper lol.
Too good to be true? It is a scam. Who ever garb your money in advance will be scam except they have ABN and Tax invoice
Things I can think of.
I am sure there is a lot more that can be added to the above, but first rule will be if it's too good to be true…..
Also, check out the lease paperwork, who drew it up…RE, Solicitor, Landlord etc…contact them if you're iffy on it.
Pay bond by bank chq…made out to RBB, at least then you know the landlord is going to have to lodge it formally. Same with first rents, pay by chq or bank chq if necessary, at least then there's some recourse.
Also note that even if you get ID from them if they decide to scam you its a civil matter. Police won't assist you in recovering the money and you'll end up spending hundreds of dollars at court before you have a chance of forcing them to give money back. After that they can still refuse to pay and generally waste your time until you give up.
Some good advice, thanks.
I will inspect, of course and ask questions about the lease.
But he might just be a cleaner or something and owners are off shore preparing to rent it. How can I check who the owner is?
With that info I can then check against his Id
I doubt neighbours will know. We rented the last house (through an agent) and the owners were chinese, bought remotely through agents, never even visited the place physically.
If it is private, the bond and contract may not be 'official' and part of the reason why its cheap. Likewise may not have ABN, or operating through a company.
I am not aware that paying by cheque offers any comeback. Doubt banks will care. If it is a scam, temp account will probably be set up and cleaned out.
Interesting about being a civil matter only.
A quick update
They were overseas owners
They wanted to do a kind of escrow to hold my deposit while I got the keys for a viewing
They said utility bills would be forwarded and paid to them
I asked for a phone number and address I could contact them to discuss the rental and for future contact if required.
I also asked for a recent bill with both their name and the apartment address
Both reasonable I think.
Heard nothing since. Easy to say it was obviously a scam, but it was quite clever. If the price had been below market rates rather than half the rate, it would have been more convincing
Will probably report online fraud / scams. Thinking of ACCC scam watch https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam
Probably a scam. More than likely.