Beware this rental scam
Realtor Marnie Goldschlag has received 45 calls from people responding to an internet scam to rent the Fair Oaks Court home that she is trying to sell.
CHRISTOPHER CHUNG/ PDPublished: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 5:46 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 5:46 p.m.
The e-mail is clear: A spouse’s sickness and a move to West Africa has made it difficult for a Santa Rosa man to rent his 1923 Memorial hospital neighborhood home.
Facts
How to avoid the scam
-- Do not send money without verifying the home’s ownership. Property records can be checked at the County Recorder-Assessor’s office.
-- Google the address for information on any sale or rental listings.
-- Drive by the home. If a sale or rental sign is posted contact the person listed on that sign to verify to home’s status.
-- If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
-- If there is a photo of the property, look for a watermark on it. Be cautious if the name on the watermark is different from the name of the person listing the property.
The home has been listed off and on at Craigslist for $800 a month, but, as the home owner wrote to a potential renter:
“We are not after the money for the rent but want the property to be kept clean all the time as it is our hard-earned property.”
Problem is, the house is not for rent. It’s for sale. And the local Realtor who has listed the property is plenty frustrated with someone trying to falsely rent out her property.
“I’ve gotten 45 calls in the last week, not counting agents saying people are walking around the property,” Marni Goldschlag said. “People are going to get scammed and some people have been very angry.”
The man attempting to rent the property he does not own not return an email seeking comment.
Another Santa Rosa home Goldshlag has listed for sale has been falsely posted as a rental for $900 a month, far below its market value.
“It’s sparking a high level of intrigue,” Goldschlag said.
The scam has hit real estate markets across the Bay Area and during the past two weeks has increased in Rohnert Park and Santa Rosa, several local real estate and property managers said.
From newer homes in Rincon Valley to well-established Oakmont neighborhoods and Rohnert Park condos, listings of homes for sale are being hijacked and relisted as rentals, usually with the homeowner living far away and looking to conduct the rental transaction quickly.
Often potential renters communicating with the person posing as the homeowner are told to look at the property and if they are interested, to fill out a rental application and send a deposit. They are told if their application is accepted, their deposit will be cashed immediately and they may move in that day.
Several Realtors and property managers in Sonoma County who have dealt with the scam said they have been in contact with people who have communicated with the false property owner but have not yet had anyone who has sent money.
None have filed any police reports and Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Lisa Banayat was not aware of any investigations into the false listings.
But Realtors are worried that people have been scammed and have not reported it or that others could fall victim in the future.
Pam Kraft, a Realtor with Prudential California Real Estate, listed a home off Middle Rincon Road for sale the last week of August.
The three-bedroom, two bath home was in “immaculate” condition and has brought in three offers, Kraft said. But not before several people called to inquire about the home as a rental.
“I thought it was odd,” Kraft said of the calls. “One of the people said the contact person was in Nigeria and I said, ‘oh, this is a problem.’ I was telling people, ‘Do not send money. This is a scam.’”
To Kraft’s knowledge, no one did. Most had driven past the house and seen her For Sale sign in the yard.
Rental properties haven’t been immune from the scam, either, said Jock McNeill, owner/broker of Alliance Property Management. While a similar scam relisting rental properties and changing the contact person has been active for several years, McNeill has had three properties in Sonoma County scammed in the past three months.
“I’ve never had any actual victims, aside from the inconvenience,” McNeill said. “I guess it shows that some people are smart enough to look into it.”
Note: If you’ve been impacted by this scam, contact local news editor Doug Wilks at doug.wilks@pressdemocrat.com.
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