A woman in the Atlanta area says a man posing as a real estate agent duped her out of a deposit she says she paid to rent a home that had been for-sale and was already under contract.
Monica O’Neil alleges she paid a $750 deposit to rent a three-bedroom home that was for-sale. But the home was already under contract, and when she went to move in, she found herself locked out.
O’Neil asserts that she contacted the man who was listed as the contact on fliers available at the home. She says the fliers said the house was for rent. She also says the man even showed her the home before she put in a deposit and agreed to rent it.
O’Neil says she has been unable to contact the man who was posing as an agent. The real estate agent who is actually listing the home says he is working to help O’Neil to get her belongings returned. She was able to move in her belongings to the home but then was locked out on a subsequent visit.
Renters can easily get duped by “rogue agents” and should verify the property is on the market by contacting the real estate agent directly and verify the person works with the company listing the property, other real estate professionals warn. Also, deposits and payments should always be made to companies and not individuals, they say.
The author of this article is: realtormag.realtor.org
See the original post at: http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2013/02/25/woman-says-she-was-scammed-rogue-agent
At GayRealEstate.com, we keep you updated with all the gay realtor, lesbian realtor, gay realty, gay real estate and general real estate news affecting the LGBT community coast to coast, and in your neighborhood.
Click here for list of gay realtors, lesbian realtors and gay friendly realtors Nationwide.
If you have a real estate story that you’d like to share with us with the gay and lesbian real estate community, please contact us at: manager@gayrealestate.com
