Using accommodation has become a real obstacle course, while a precious ally nevertheless allows you not to be fooled and even to gain in serenity.
In terms of apartment or house research, scams have become commonplace, for various reasons. The demand being much higher than the supply, especially in large cities, the owners and agencies are in a position of strength, and some take advantage of it to impose abusive conditions (swollen rents, ultra-extension files).
With the boom in rental platforms, crooks compete in ingenuity to trap the candidates. Nonexistent ads, false owners requiring guarantee deposits before a visit, illegally subertaining dwellings … The traps are numerous. Also, many scams play on the ignorance of the rights of tenants. Asking for several months of deposit, unjustified fees or prohibited documents (such as a bank statement) are illegal, but current practices.
Faced with the scarcity of goods, tenants often do not have time to check a lease or an owner before getting involved. This urgency makes them more vulnerable to scams. Even on renowned sites, some fraudulent announcements pass between the meshes of the net. A false number of Siret, a usurped identity … It only takes a credible scam.
In order to avoid these traps, we remind you that you should never pay money before a visit, check the owner (cadastre, Google review, social network), compare prices to identify offers that are too beautiful to be true, and always demand a good lease. But there is an unstoppable technique to avoid all these disappointments: call on word of mouth and your personal network!
Going through friends, colleagues or family is accessing accommodation even before they are put on the market and a trusted person can testify to the reliability of the owner or the agency, thus limiting the risk of unpleasant surprises. In tense markets like those we know, property leaves quickly: good contact can make the difference to be a priority on a file.
Among the sites we recommend experience, there are trusted people. Unlike conventional sites, the announcements are filtered there and users must be sponsored to access it, enough to strongly limit the risk of scams. The owners and tenants often have a verified identity, reducing the probability of falling on a false lessor or a fraudulent announcement. Finally, the community aspect promotes more honest and reassuring transactions. The recommendations and other confidence circles thus reduce the risk of making you have stupidly. Always favor a reliable source rather than an announcement too good to be honest!
