DON ’ T BE A VI CTIM: 8 FREQUENT TENANT SCAMS A landlord’s dream is to have responsible tenants who pay their rent on time, respect their property and don’t cause any trouble. Their nightmare is the need to evict a tenant. Unfortunately, an increasingly large number of evictions are the result of clever scammers and swindlers. Even with proven precautions, the most conscientious property owner can fall victim to fraud.
We cannot overemphasize the importance to landlords of training themselves to recognize the newer scams that have come with everyday technology as well as the
time-proven methods of real estate fraud. These days, most people have access to a high-quality scanner and photo-editing software. Someone with minimum computer skills
can fake pay stubs, alter employment records and falsify other financial documents. These types of document fraud are difficult to detect, especially when submitted with an online application. Without proper tenant verification, landlords can find themselves not only taking a financial hit, but they will also have to endure the pain of the eviction process, expensive legal proceedings and the inconvenience of having to rent the same property all over again.
Tenant fraud usually begins with misinformation and dishonest answers during the application process.
P A G E 7 5 |
Powered by FlippingBook