WENDY KNOWLER: ‘It’s not a bargain, it’s a scam’: Rental listing cons on the rise
The estate agency Harcourts has warned of a sharp increase in scammers posing as real estate agents.
A house for rent. Picture: © Andy Dean /123rf
On 702, Relebogile Mabotja speaks to consumer journalist Wendy Knowler.
Listen to the interview in the audio below.
On multiple platforms scammers have been pretending to be real estate agents to get money out of potential tenants.
They usually advertise properties for much lower than the market value and will tell the potential tenant to pay a deposit to secure the property.
ALSO READ:
'Airbnb has utterly distorted the long-term rental market in Cape Town'
WATCH: Woman rants about property rental prices
According to Harcourts they usually post on Facebook Marketplace and Rent Uncle, as those platforms do not verify the listings.
“The prices that they advertise are unrealistic... It’s not a bargain, it is a scam.”
- Wendy Knowler, Consumer Journalist
One woman found a rental property on these sites, went for a viewing, and paid R12,000 to a scammer who never provided a lease.
She later discovered on True Caller that this was a scam.
Knowler says that you should look out for red flags like being pressured to pay a deposit, forms of unprofessional communication, and being asked for personal information upfront.
When in doubt, you can verify the legitimacy of a real estate agent through the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA) website.
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.