Submitted by sirbikesalot t3_11i0x76 in Maine
My partner and I are new to Maine and we are trying to rent a place of craigslist in the midcoast area. The landlord wants us to pay a $50 per person application fee before we even get to view the property. I am getting scam vibes from this, but I don't know what is normal here.
Never change for anyone.
Yeah that's a scam, or just someone you really dont want to be your landlord.
Im a landlord and also maintenance for a pm company. First rule of renting is you get to see the place first, inside and out. No excuses. If there are, its a scam. Applications do cost money but maine has a hard cap on them at about 35 bucks so thats the second sign its a scam. Third sign is if you show up and they try to powerwalk you through the property, that means they have like 50 more people coming that day, all who are getting scammed out of cash.
These fees should be against the law. Landlord across the street from me was making more money showing the place than renting it.
nope not normal. probably a scam
80% of Craigslist listings are scams nowadays. Sounds like this person is simply trying to collect $50 from a bench of desperate renters and then they will cut off communication. They don’t own the property.
Use actual rental websites or Facebook marketplace. Be extremely skeptical of anything on Craigslist.
I don't charge for applications until they see the apartment and want to rent. Then we check their credit and criminal history and charge $35 to do this.
Careful, you could end up living in a hot dog.
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Scam!
I have seen it quite a bit over the years, it’s quite the racket. Typically it’s $25. My advise, if you have to do it over the internet, I’d question it. In person would be less of a scam, but I have heard of this.
The answer is that it depends. It could be a good faith charge because the landlord wants to background check people before touring the unit to them. This is common for single female landlords for example as a safety precaution.
My guess is that they’re probably using it as a revenue tool though to compensate for their time. Not super ethical IMO but not a scam.
It could also be a scam. It’s not unreasonable to ask for proof of ownership first.
Either way, it’s up to you. Unfortunately there aren’t often many options and landlords know this.
Source: am landlord
Some try it.
Nobody get anything past my name before viewing a property.
In the Portland area renting sight unseen is entirely normal. Units go so fast, and the waiting lists are so long that rental companies/Landlord’s have little incentive to show units beforehand. When you want to see it but there’s 5 other people in line desperate for a place, willing to take the risk and sign a lease immediately, you’re shit out of luck.
With that said, Craiglist is scam central. Unless you go through many steps to verify the person is who they say they are and owns the property, you’re setting yourself up to be scammed.
Most certainly a scam. I live in the midcoast area and recently read a post from a poor woman who owns one of these homes being used in the ads. People were showing up to see the place and demanding their $50 back from her. Of course, she knew nothing about it and didn't have their money, she was just trying to live peacefully in the home she owns. Things like this make me hate the internet.
Nope. You pay after you see the apartment. You never, under any circumstances, pay before.
If a landlord charges you an application fee, especially if it is an exorbitant price, it is a scam. Do not fall for it. Chances are, the apartment is dogshit (mold, cracks, etc.) and the landlord is one of those bad-apple business owners who thirst for money as badly as human beings thirst for water.
Landlords will claim "criminal history" or something like that that the fee is put towards, but Google is literally free to use. All you have to do is punch in the prospective tenant's name and voila. Bonus points if they have Facebook; makes the job much easier. It's not entirely foolproof--we've ended up with bad apples who seemed good at first but showed their true colors after a while--but it works.
Only if it's a scam.
If it's KRE Rentals don't even bother. That's just step one of the gauntlet of bullshit they'll run you through.
A scam. You only pay the app fee when you apply.
JimBones31 t1_jaw1yu1 wrote
Sounds like a good reason to rent from someone that doesn't change you to apply.