How to avoid rental scams?

We all have heard or faced the situation where the landlord tried to extort money in the name of security deposits or tell someone to vacate a house in the middle of the night. Although there is no 100% guarantee that you won't fall into the trap of rental scams, you can certainly read this post to get a heads up on how to avoid rental scams. Rent fully furnished property at a reasonable price listed on NoBroker. Create a rental agreement online from NoBroker without any hassle. How to avoid home rental scams? If you are facing any trouble as a tenant, you can file a complaint against your landlord. You need to visit the police station located nearest to where you live and register a complaint. It’s better to take a witness as support evidence. But there is no compensation for distress, so its better to avoid getting into trouble. Keep a record of all the transactions You should have all types of receipts related to the house you have rented. Be it a rental receipt or an electricity bill you should always have the receipt to show that you have made the payment on time. As a tenant, it is your responsibility to clear every month’s rent, electricity bill, and water bill on time. If your landlord has included maintenance changes in the rental agreement, you should also pay them on time. Most importantly, you should keep a receipt of the security deposit. Find your rental property from a trusted source It’s better to avoid brokers if you are renting a property. They may take your money away leaving you in a dire situation. Secondly, it's better to avoid looking at properties posted on Facebook. There are so many scammers waiting to loot people. Instead, you can ask your friend to look for a property or you can rely on platforms such as NoBroker or Magicbricks. There are lower chances of getting scammed on these platforms. Rental Agreement As a tenant, you should always read the clause of the rental agreement carefully. Check the lock-in period, notice period, and the clause related to vacating the due after receiving the eviction notice. If you find any difficulty understanding the clause of the agreement you should communicate to your landlord and understand the meaning then and there. Always renew the rental application after its expiry. There are many rental application scams where the landlord extorted security deposits and told the tenants to vacate the house within a few days as they did not sign the rental agreement. You must know that without a rental agreement the landlord has the power to vacate the house at any time. Avoid sub-letting your rented home Landlords can frown upon the practice of subletting if you don't let them know about this. And in some places, it is also illegal to sublet your apartment. You must speak to your landlord before subletting and if the landlord agrees then only you should sublet your place. Spot the Rogue Owner If you ever come across an owner who has posted wrong details or wrong photos to mislead tenants you should report them. There is a high chance that these owners can scam people big time. So, it's better to stay away from them. If you have confusion you can also hire a lawyer and run due diligence. These are some ways of how to avoid rental scams. I hope you find this informative. Read more: What documents are required for rental agreement? What happens when there is no rental agreement? Where to get rental agreement in Hyderabad?