a front row seat to the London flat letting scam.
This is how it works. The scammer advertises a great flat on one of the
listings websites, at just below the realistic market rent, usually
claiming to be a professional who need to relocate and is just looking
for someone to care for their home and cover the mortgage costs. They
just want a deposit to prove that you are not a timewaster, while they
check your references.
I've been trawling the flat listing for sometime, just to see what the
market is like, in case I want to move later in the year. And there it
was, a studio flat, just within my budget, in an area I like, and
available this month. I filled on the online form for more information.
About 5 hours later, the reply came through, with a slew of attached
pictures, just as my laptop battery started to splutter and die. No
time to do more than scan the text before heading home to recharge,
check the details and reply.
The doubts were there from the outset - the price was just too low. And
why would an American student with a nice wood floored studio be moving
in with a boyfriend in Portsmouth. I mean - *Portsmouth*?
And free maid service? Free gym membership?
When I finally saw the photo, all the alarm bells started ringing. How
had a studio become a 2 bed flat? Hang on - that's three bedrooms, all
enormous.... And that fuzzy thing on the wall - a statutory fire
notice...? Hmmm...
So what "Angela" the "American Student" had done was take a bunch of
shots an empty office, dressed with double beds.
And when "she" had my deposit (she was asking if I had it ready to put
down straight away), no doubt she would have checked my references,
discovered that I "couldn't pay", and would return the money "less her
expenses" - I'm guessing her expenses would be about £600...
So. Beware the flat that sounds too good to be true. It's not a
clueless landlord - it's a trap for unwary would be tenants.
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