BEFORE SIGNING YOUR LEASE:
If your rental is not listed with a property managment company or Realtor, verify:
- There are no liens or back-taxes on the property.
- The person you're working with is the owner.
This can be done in some areas for free at publicrecords.onlinesearches.com. You can do this for a minimal fee at www.searchq.com. Because scam artists can also see who the owner of the property is and assume that person's name, be sure to ask the owner for a photo ID to ensure that the person you're working with is who he/she says he is.