How to avoid being cheated when renting an apartment

Image | Pixabay

In order to spend a few days off, renting an apartment is one of the most demanded resources by travelers. A place that is well located in the center, cozy, beautiful and that is affordable are the most demanded characteristics when it comes to renting. On the internet there are many websites that offer an infinity of apartments of all types but as the popular proverb says 'all that glitters is not gold', so you have to be very careful to avoid being cheated when renting an apartment.

To avoid being the victim of a scam, we advise you to read the following tips that will be of great help when renting a vacation home.

Foreign contact details

One clue that alerts us to possible fraud is that the owner claims to live abroad and that he cannot show us the apartment in person or that he will deliver the keys to us by courier. If something like this happens we should be suspicious because in these cases it is normal for the owner to have the services of a representative agency that has the keys to the house or with the help of a person who is the visible face to perform the operation.

Visit the house

If you have the opportunity to visit the apartment before renting it, it is advisable to do so. In this way you make sure that the apartment really has the equipment that was exposed in the advertisement. If this option is not possible, it is best to talk directly with the owner and ask him to send you some images of the rooms in the apartment: rooms, furniture, appliances, etc.

Be suspicious if you perceive that the photographs of the apartment are copied from another website, if they have watermarks or if they are identical to those you have seen in other advertisements.

Image | Pixabay

Compare prices

Before hiring it is advisable to compare prices on different websites. The lower ones are usually linked to harsher conditions and less flexibility. Be wary of bargains and advertisements without photographs. 

Average price in the area

Make sure you know the average price of the area where the apartment is located to know if what you are going to pay is in line with what the landlord is asking for. It is worth using Google Images to see if the images that have been sent to you correspond to the accommodation. In this way you can also check the distance between the places of interest in the city and the home (leisure areas, old town, beaches ...).

Check the comments of others

Before renting the apartment it is a good idea to read the opinions of other users about the tourist apartment. The experience of other people can give us notions about what we are going to hire and what we are going to find when they give us the keys.

Image | Pixabay

Possibility of canceling reservation

In the event that you are usually used to booking your accommodation well in advance, the best thing is that you try to negotiate the possibility of canceling the reservation within a certain period without extra expenses. You never know what unforeseen events you may have when renting so far in advance.

Sign a contract

Signing a lease always makes things easier if they get ugly. In this contract you must indicate the days that the stay will last, the amount of the rent and even that of the deposit or the down payment.

Always secure payments

You can avoid being cheated when renting an apartment by making the payment safely. Do not trust if the alleged owner asks that the payment be made for anonymous services because doing so will be very difficult to recover it. The most appropriate thing is to pay by card or make bank transfers since banks can revoke the operation.

Also check that the bank to which the transaction must be sent is of the same nationality as the owner of the house and that the owner of the account where the money is deposited is the same as the owner of the home.

Image | Pixabay

Check inventory

Sometimes with the handover of the keys an inventory is also given in which the furniture and other objects with which the apartment is equipped are collected. Before signing the contract, it is advisable that you check that the house has everything that the inventory says and, if not, notify the owner of the deficiencies that you observe.

Be wary of quick deals

The rush to close a deal should put you on your toes. Cybercriminals always want to do it as quickly as possible.

Finally, in case you consider that the advertised property is a scam or that you have been cheated on a complaint to the police, the information you provide will allow them to have more information about the scammers and arrest them.


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