Renting From a Private Landlord? Verify These Things Before You Send a Deposit

The apartment looked perfect. Good neighborhood, updated kitchen, rent a little below everything else you’d seen. The landlord replied within minutes, sent extra photos of the bedrooms, and explained he’d just moved out of state for work, so he couldn’t show it in person. If you sent the deposit and first month’s rent today, he’d mail you the keys.

That is almost word for word how thousands of renters lose money every year. In one real case, a renter filled out an application and sent a deposit plus two months’ rent through Zelle, then never got the keys. The house and photos were real, but they had been lifted from a recent “for sale” listing on Zillow and Realtor.com. It was never for rent.

The scale is bigger than most people realize. Since 2020, consumers have reported nearly 65,000 rental scams to the FTC, with losses of about $65 million. And reported cases are only a fraction of the real number. In one FTC case involving fake listings, the agency had identified 500 complaints when it filed the case, only to learn later that there were actually 168,000 victims.

The good news: almost every rental scam fails one of a few simple checks. Here’s how to verify a landlord and a listing before you send a single dollar.

How Rental Scams Usually Work

Most rental scams follow one of three patterns:

• The hijacked listing. Scammers copy photos and descriptions from a real listing (often a home for sale) and repost them with their own contact details.
• The phantom rental. The property doesn’t exist, isn’t available, or isn’t a rental at all.
• The double-rented unit. A real unit gets “leased” to several people at once, each paying a deposit. Scammers also advertise rentals that are already leased, just to collect deposits or application fees.

Where these listings show up matters too. According to the FTC, about half of people who reported a rental scam in the 12 months ending June 2025 said it started with a fake ad on Facebook.

1. The Listing Isn’t a Copy of Another Ad

This check takes five minutes and catches a large share of scams.

Search the Address and Photos

Type the full address into Google, Zillow and Realtor.com. Then run two or three of the listing photos through a reverse image search like Google Lens. The FTC specifically recommends searching the rental address online to see whether the same property is listed with different prices or contact information, or is listed for sale.

If the home shows up as “for sale” with a real estate agent, call that agent directly. They’ll know within seconds whether it’s being rented.

Compare the Rent to Similar Places Nearby

Pull up three to five similar rentals in the same area. The FTC warns that a listing with rent much cheaper than similar rentals in the same area could be a sign of a scam. A practical rule: if the price is 20% or more below everything comparable, that’s a reason to slow down, not hurry up. Scammers price low on purpose because it creates urgency.

2. The Person You’re Talking to Actually Owns the Property

This is the single most effective check, and most renters never do it.

Property ownership is public record. Every county keeps track of who owns each property through the assessor’s or recorder’s office. A legitimate landlord’s name, or their company’s name, will appear there.

Before anything else, ask for the landlord’s full legal name. Then confirm who actually owns the property and compare the two.

If the names don’t match, ask why. Some explanations are legitimate (“I’m the property manager, here’s my management agreement”). Others are classic scam lines: “it’s my mother’s house,” “I just bought it and the records haven’t updated,” or “my company owns it” without naming the company. A real landlord can back up any of these with paperwork. A scammer will get vague or push you to decide quickly.

3. If a Company Owns It, the Person Really Works for It

Many rentals aren’t owned by individuals at all. Investors often hold properties in an LLC, so the owner in the records might be something like “Maple Street Holdings LLC.”

That’s normal, but it adds one more step. Look up the LLC that owns the building to confirm it’s an active company and see who’s listed as its registered agent or managers.

Then do the step almost no one does: find the company’s or management firm’s phone number yourself, through Google or their official website, and call to confirm the listing and the person you’re talking to. Never rely on the phone number or email in the ad. Scammers impersonate real property management companies precisely because renters trust the name.

4. You’ve Seen the Inside, in Person

The most common scam excuse is that the landlord can’t be there: they’re overseas, deployed, on a mission trip or caring for a sick relative. They’ll offer to mail the keys once you pay.

The rule is simple: no viewing, no deposit.

If you really can’t visit, for example because you’re moving from another state, you still have options:

• Ask a friend, coworker or local relative to tour it for you.
• Request a live video tour where you direct the camera. Ask them to open a specific closet, turn on the kitchen faucet, then walk outside and show the house number and the street sign.

Pre-recorded videos and extra photos prove nothing, since they can be copied from the same listing.

5. The Lease Is Real and Matches the Records

Once you’ve confirmed the property and the person, look closely at the lease before signing:

• The landlord or company name matches the ownership records from steps 2 and 3.
• The full address and unit number are correct.
• Rent, deposit, move-in date and lease term match what you were promised in writing.
• The landlord lists a physical mailing address, not just an email or phone number.

Also check your state’s rules. Many states cap security deposits (often at one or two months’ rent) and set a deadline for returning them after you move out. A landlord who asks for far more than the legal limit is either uninformed or not a real landlord.

6. The Payment Method Leaves a Paper Trail

This is where the money actually disappears, so be strict.

The FTC calls being told to wire money “the surest sign of a scam,” and it also warns renters to be suspicious when landlords ask for a deposit through Venmo, Zelle, gift cards or similar methods. Payment apps work like cash: once the money lands in a scammer’s account, getting it back is very difficult.

Safer options:

• A check or money order made out to the owner or company name from the property records
• An official online payment portal run by a verified management company
• A credit card, where accepted, since it offers dispute rights

And only pay after you’ve seen the unit and signed the lease. Always get a written receipt.

Red Flags That Mean You Should Walk Away

• The landlord can’t show the unit in person.
• They want a deposit before you’ve seen the place or signed anything.
• They ask for payment by Zelle, wire transfer, gift cards or crypto.
• The rent is far below similar places in the area.
• They pressure you: “Three other people are interested, pay today to hold it.”
• The same listing appears elsewhere under a different name or price.
• The owner’s name doesn’t match the property records.
• They only communicate by text or email and avoid phone calls.

One red flag means slow down. Two means walk away.

Already Sent Money? Do This Right Away

If you think you’ve been scammed, speed matters more than anything else.

1. Call your bank or payment app immediately. Ask them to stop, recall or dispute the payment. Some transfers can still be reversed within hours.
2. Report the listing to the platform where you found it (Facebook, Craigslist, Zillow) so it gets taken down before someone else pays.
3. File a report with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
4. File a local police report. Banks often ask for one when reviewing fraud claims.
5. Save everything: the listing, screenshots, messages, emails, the lease and payment receipts.

You won’t always get the money back, but every report makes it easier for authorities to connect cases and shut scammers down.

Your Pre-Deposit Checklist

1. Search the address and reverse-search the photos.
2. Compare the rent to similar listings nearby.
3. Confirm the owner’s name in property records.
4. If an LLC owns it, verify the company and call its official number.
5. Tour the unit in person or by live video you control.
6. Check that the lease names, address and terms match.
7. Pay only by a traceable method, after signing.
8. Get a written receipt.

FAQs

How can I tell if a landlord really owns the property?

Ask for their full legal name and compare it with county property records. If an LLC owns the property, verify the company and call its official phone number, not the one in the listing.

Is it safe to pay a rental deposit through Zelle?

It’s risky. Zelle and similar apps work like cash, and payments sent to scammers are very hard to recover. Use a check, money order or an official payment portal, and only after signing the lease.

Can a landlord ask for a deposit before showing the apartment?

A legitimate landlord will let you see the unit first. A request for money before a viewing is one of the most common signs of a rental scam.

What if the landlord says they’re out of the country?

Treat it as a major red flag. Real landlords who live elsewhere use a local property manager or agent who can show the unit and hand over keys.

How much do people usually lose in rental scams?

It varies widely. In an Apartment List survey, the median loss was $400, but nearly a third of victims lost more than $1,000 and 17.6% lost more than $2,000. Smaller losses usually come from fake application fees, bigger ones from deposits and rent.

Who is most likely to fall for rental scams?

Younger renters. According to the FTC, people ages 18 to 29 were three times more likely than other adults to report losing money to a rental scam, largely because they search online and move more often.

A real landlord expects questions and has nothing to hide. They can show you the unit, prove they own it, and accept a payment you can trace. A scammer needs you to skip those steps, which is exactly why they push urgency, distance and cash-like payments. Take an extra hour to verify before you send a deposit, save the checklist above, and share it with anyone who’s apartment hunting, especially students and first-time renters.