It is summer time and that means scams. In the June 4th, issue of the Santa Cruz Sentinel Newspaper, www.santacruzsentinel.com there was a short article about Vacation Homes Should Be Watched and the article referenced a couple homes where people were squatting in them.
I don’t do vacation rentals as part of my business but it got me thinking about scams in general. When does a property manager decide to put a For Rent sign out front? Does this alert people to the possibility of the property being vacant? What about CraigsList and the scams you find there?
The most common scam in my industry being someone takes the photos and the property description and advertises the property for way below rental market rates. We have gotten angry prospects who come in to apply for the $1000 ocean front house – if it sounds too good to be real then it is. Also, please check the email addresses on the ad. Sometimes it is very obvious it is a scam. I post all my properties in protected fliers so I haven’t had this happen recently.
So do you put up For Rent signs or not? I do put them up if tenant occupied, and on a busy street. If on a quiet street no point, no one will see the sign.
Use care this summer when renting your property for vacation or long term.
Please check out my website at www.PortolaRentals.com if you are interested in properties in Santa Cruz or have rentals in Santa Cruz, CA.
Kathleen Richards
