How to Avoid Rental Scams When Listing Your Property

There are plenty of ways to list your rental property and attract high-quality tenants. 

However, the potential for falling victim to a scam increases, as with anything where there is money involved, 

Luckily, we’ve put together this guide to successfully avoiding scams when listing your property, with a few tips and tricks to help you spot them early on. 

What is a property scam that landlords can suffer from?

As a landlord, a scammer may try to sell your property or transfer it into their own name using false documents, especially if you do not live in the property. 

There are several ways in which you can work to avoid this: 

Sign up to Land Registry Property Alert service

The first thing you should do if you are concerned about a certain property, is to sign up to the Land Registry Property Alert service. 

This means that if someone attempts to make changes to a property that you have registered, you are sent an email. 

While it won’t automatically prevent people from making changes, it will alert you and therefore you can tackle the problem if necessary. 

As a landlord it is a really good service, as you can keep tabs on multiple properties at one time. 

Place a restriction on your title deeds

Another way to ensure that you are as protected as possible is to place a restriction on the title deeds of the property you are renting out. 

In short, this means that the Land Registry cannot register a sale or mortgage unless a solicitor confirms that the application was made by you. 

Review all your tenants before they move in

It is important to thoroughly vet your tenants before they move in. Check their ID, credit history, current income and check in with their previous landlord. 

Checking in with a previous landlord means you can confirm the tenant is who they say they are. 

Visit the property

Of course, giving 24 hours of notice, make sure to visit the property within the first few days that the tenant has moved in. This allows you to check that the tenant is physically living in the property. Scammers tend not to move in. 

It is also a good idea to check up on the tenants at least every 6 months. If you feel that there is something amiss, make sure to take action quicker. 

It is very important to take the necessary steps to avoid scammers and to report any suspicious behaviour as soon as possible.