Tips to avoid bad landlords
- Asking for an application fee, a fee for keys, a damage deposit greater than 陆 of one month鈥檚 rent, and first and last month鈥檚 rent are all illegal. If a potential聽landlord聽asks you for any of these things, it may be a sign that they are trying to get around the laws that protect tenants.
- A good聽landlord聽will be okay with you asking questions. If you find that your potential聽landlord聽seems dishonest or like they are avoiding answering, it could be a red flag.
- Don鈥檛聽be pressured to sign a lease right away. Some聽landlords聽may try to get you to sign the same day you view a place, but聽it鈥檚聽okay to ask for a day to think it over.鈥 A lease is a legally binding document that involves a lot of money. It is better to potentially聽miss out on聽an opportunity than to聽enter into聽a contract with a bad聽landlord.
Tips to avoid potential scams
Ask yourself if a place seems 鈥渢oo good to be true鈥.聽Is the unit much less expensive than others in the area? Do the photos seem real? Are there more amenities included than you would聽reasonably expect聽for the price point?
Ask to see the unit in person. If this is not possible because you are not in Nova Scotia, ask for a video call so that you can virtually tour the place. Many scammers will list a unit that does exist but is not owned by the scammer and may already have current tenants. Scammers may try to trick you by saying they only have photos, or they are unavailable to give you a tour because they are out of the province/country.
If you find a unit through a website like Facebook Marketplace,聽take a look聽at the landlord鈥檚 profile. Does their profile picture look legitimate, or could it be a stock photo taken from the internet? Does their account have any other activity?
When in doubt, show the listing to a trusted friend or family member. They can help聽advise聽you if it seems legitimate.聽
Don鈥檛聽send any money before signing a lease. As mentioned above, it is illegal for聽a landlord聽to charge you anything more than the first month鈥檚 rent and a damage deposit of 陆 of one month鈥檚 rent.
