How Okanagan, Kamloops post-secondary students (and parents) can avoid rental scams
An extremely tight rental market means people are desperate to find places to live. That’s no more important than in the fall when colleges and universities open for the fall session in Kamloops and the Okanagan.
That’s why Liv.rent, an online rental platform, has put out a warning to potential renters.
“Reports of suspicious listings have nearly tripled from the previous year, as can be seen from a feature that allows users to flag suspicious activity on the platform,” Liv.rent said in a news release.
READ MORE: Hundreds of students in need of homes in Kelowna
“With students starting to return for the upcoming fall semester and 432,000 new permanent residents expected by year-end, there is an urgent need for Canada’s rental industry to take action to safeguard vulnerable renters.”
In Vancouver, the site saw a 47% increase in rental activity in June compared to last year. Which means there’s more room for scamming.
“As the rental industry continues to move online, scams have become more sophisticated and more varied,” Liv.rent said in the release.
“Fake profiles and listings remain the root of the problem, but recognizing and avoiding them is often difficult for renters. Blurry listing photos, obscured address details, and urgent demands for personal information or cash deposits are all tell-tale signs, but are easy to miss without careful attention.”
The B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch does not deal with rental scams.
It said, in an email to iNFOnews.ca, that people need to report scams to places like Consumer Protection B.C. or the Better Business Bureau but also pointed to anti-fraud information on the Vancouver Police Department website.
"If the price is too good to be true or they ask for cash only, a cash security deposit, or money to be wired, that should be a red flag,” Liv.rent says.
It recommends money not be sent to anyone you have not met in person or for a property you have not seen in person.
You should ask for identification from people showing the property and write down licence plate numbers when possible.
You can also search for ownership information through the Land Titles office here.
Liv.rent says it manually confirms the identity of landlords by having them upload photo ID along with a matching selfie photo.
To help verify property ownership, the landlord is asked to provide ownership documents or enter a one-time code that has been mailed to that address.
Over the last year Liv.rent found that 70% of its renters clicked on verified listings as opposed to unverified listings.
READ MORE: Scammers are taking advantage of Kamloops's competitive rental housing market
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