Russians have been warned about popular rental fraud schemes

The rental season is accompanied not only by an increase in demand, but also by the activation of fraudsters. According to experts, in 2023 alone, Russians lost more than 500 million rubles due to real estate scams. Svetlana Ermolenko, a family realtor, told about this on May 18.

According to her, the main signs of deception are suspiciously low price, perfect photos, lack of an exact address and the requirement of prepayment before viewing the object. Scammers copy descriptions of real apartments, lower the price by 20-40%, and then disappear with the money.

Of particular danger are the so-called "double" transactions, when housing is simultaneously rented to several tenants. There is a common scheme abroad in which an attacker rents a house from the owner and resells it to tourists, posing as the owner.

"The key protection is a personal meeting and verification of documents. In Russia, check the extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities through Gosuslugi.Real estate", abroad — request documents like the German Grundbuch or the American Zillow, in Thailand you can request a Blue Book from the owner, the name of the owner of the book must match the name of the person with whom you sign the contract," Ermolenko said in an interview with the newspaper.Ru».

If fraud has already occurred, it is necessary to record the correspondence and contact the police. It is also recommended to contact the consulate abroad.

The realtor stressed that the lease agreement should be detailed and include all conditions, including utility bills and possible fines.

"If the offer seems too good, it's probably a trap. Renting a home, even in your hometown, even in Bali, should start with questions, not emotions," the realtor concluded.

The decisive quarter: the State Duma proposed to simplify the change of management companies

They want to reduce the quorum for making this decision to 25%

On May 13, Oleg Bendrikov, a real estate expert and realtor, warned of violations threatening to deprive real estate. According to him, the apartment may be put up for auction if it has been illegally redeveloped, large utility debts have been incurred, or the Housing Code has been violated.