how can i trust a landlord? is it safe to sign contracts online? are all landlords on here safe?
If you sign a contract via openrent they collect 1st months rent and security deposit and only paid to LL up to 10 days after move in, to stop rogue LLs taking Ā£ then not handing over the keys.
But you should still do your own due diligence
For advice on scams see
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Wonder if they have a " Tenant Scams and Fraud "
They donāt call it that but have this
.
They share some āred flagsā. Of course there are many more āscamsā once people move in, ranging from tenants who sublet, or tenants who move a partner, pet or child in without permission to ārent to rentā deals by companies or LAs who donāt do maintenance and return properties to the LL trashed. If a council knows a tenant is in arrears but wonāt find a place for them till bailliffs are called, despite the Homelessness Code, costing LLs time and Ā£ to evict, just so council can delay having to deal with the tenant, is that a scam? Etc
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yes I get it But notice the āLandlord Scams and Fraudā no such heading for tenants . Bias (scared of a backlash?) even from as association that I am a part of
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It must be really challenging to find a place when you canāt see the house or meet the landlord.
Scams are rare, but do happen. Most landlords give a good service, but there are some who are less good.
If I were in your shoes I would probably go through an agent with a real high street premises, as that should reduce the risk of scams and hopefully ensure you get at least a reasonable service.
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I moved from Texas in September and this was my first UK rental, so I worried about the same things. Booking through OpenRent held my deposit and first monthās rent until after I moved in, which helped me relax a bit. I still did my own checks though - I viewed the flat twice and only signed once the contract matched what I had been shown. Keeping the messages inside the platform was useful too, the landlord answered everything in writing.
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